Turning the hourglass on stroke awareness

11,000 people in Scotland experience a stroke each year.
So, when Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland research found that 39% of Scots were not familiar with F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech, Time), it was clear that they needed a hard-hitting campaign to further highlight the common signs and importance of acting quickly.

Partnering with the Scottish Ambulance Service, they came to Lane and Lane Media for a public awareness campaign that included a social film, TV, outdoor, doctors surgery leaflets and other informative collateral.

Acting F.A.S.T. and calling emergency services could reduce the extent of the damage that a stroke causes to your body. But more importantly, it could save your life.

The creative needed to be informative, simple, impactful and hit home that time is critical.

Using an hourglass as the visual device, we could show people just how quickly time runs out in these emergency situations. And by listening to real emergency calls, we replicated them with a range of callers and symptoms – because you don’t need to be a certain age to have a stroke, and you don’t need to display all the signs.

Launched at Glasgow Central Station, the new F.A.S.T. campaign was embedded in real experiences and empowered the Scottish public with all the information they need to act quickly and confidently – whether they notice the signs in a loved one or are experiencing them themselves.

On top of spreading a life-saving message, the film won second place in the £5M-£15M Annual Turnover category at the 2025 Smiley Charity Film Awards.