Adverts show hard-hitting message

Monday 30th April 2012

Festival-goers will be targeted by a hard-hitting campaign alerting people to the dangers of listening to loud music for too long.

Adverts from the Action On Hearing Loss campaign show people's ears being attacked by a drill or hammered with a nail to show how loud music can cause tinnitus or, in extreme cases, deafness.

The images will be displayed throughout the London Borough of Camden on billboards, telephone boxes and a cinema advert until May 13.

It coincides with the Camden Crawl, which runs from May 4 to 6 and is seen as the first festival of the season.

Posters, earplugs and beer mats have been distributed to more than 30 venues in Camden and 6,000 free earplugs will be handed out on the streets.

Jackie Ballard, chief executive of Action On Hearing Loss, which use to be called RNID, said: "For years we have tried to educate people about the dangers of loud music and this campaign signifies a sizeable shift in how we are using our brand to engage different audiences.

"The message is simple: take action now to protect your hearing. We're thoroughly proud of this campaign and it's a new way for us to try to reach different audiences with this vital message."

The campaign has been created by Hat-Trick design consultants. Jim Sutherland, creative director at Hat-Trick, said: "No-one realises the effect that loud music can have and we wanted a visual metaphor for the damage this can cause. Assorted drills, nails and chisels are a powerful way of showing this."

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