Beware The Silent Assassin - Diabetes UK Launches Hard-Hitting Campaign

Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 06 Oct 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Diabetes UK today launches Silent Assassin, a hard-hitting UK-wide campaign highlighting that diabetes is a serious condition that causes heart disease, stroke, amputations, kidney failure and blindness.

The campaign's striking visuals show diabetes as a shadowy figure ready to pounce on unsuspecting members of the public. All posters feature the 'Diabetes. Beware the Silent Assassin' headline, and include secondary warning messages such as:

- Diabetes causes more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined.
- The death certificate will say heart attack. It was really diabetes.
- Diabetes causes heart disease, stroke, amputations, kidney failure and blindness.

The advertising campaign, developed by The Gate, will include a series of outdoor posters as well as newspaper and consumer magazine advertising during October and November 2008. Diabetes UK and The Gate worked with focus groups and held extended interviews with the general public to finalise the campaign key messages and effectiveness. All visual materials also encourage people to visit the Diabetes UK website and its newly created Silent Assassin microsite at www.diabetes.org.uk/SilentAssassin where a new online tool has been developed with web development agency Chameleon Net to let people know their risk of diabetes or give information and support on managing the condition.

In addition to raising awareness of the seriousness of the condition, the campaign also aims to encourage people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes to make urgent changes in their lifestyle to avoid a future of ill-health. It also aims to reach the estimated 500,000 people who have the condition but are not aware of it as early diagnosis is crucial to prevent people from developing the complications of diabetes. There are currently 2.3 million people already diagnosed with diabetes.

Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: "Dealing with the diabetes time bomb is a matter of urgency if we want to prevent millions of people from facing a grim future of ill-health. It is a startling fact that diabetes causes more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined. This is why Diabetes UK is launching its Silent Assassin campaign to raise awareness of the seriousness of the condition and we hope that its hard-hitting messages will help us address this serious health challenge and improve the health of the nation."

To coincide with the campaign, Diabetes UK will also target the national, regional, consumer and ethnic minority press with a news story based on the findings of a new Diabetes UK report. A copy of the Silent Assassin report is attached with this release.

Learn how to beat the silent assassin at http://www.diabetes.org.uk/SilentAssassin.

Notes

1. Diabetes UK is the charity for people with diabetes. We fund more than £7 million of medical research every year, provide information and support to people with diabetes and campaign on their behalf. For more information visit http://www.diabetes.org.uk.

2. In the UK, there are currently 2.3 million people diagnosed with diabetes and it is estimated that more than half a million people have the condition but do not know it.

3. The Diabetes UK Careline (0845 120 2960) offers information and support on any aspect of managing diabetes. The line is a lo-call number and opens Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm (operates a translation service). Recorded information on a number of diabetes-related topics is also available on this number 24 hours a day.

4. Membership of Diabetes UK is from £22 a year with special rates available. In addition to our bi-monthly magazine Balance, members receive support and the latest information on diabetes care and treatments to help them live a healthy life.

Diabetes UK