Stay in the Race

How do you make heart valve failure famous?

Put it in the fast lane.

When Edwards Lifesciences set out to elevate awareness for heart valve failure, we knew a traditional clinical approach wouldn't cut it. We needed adrenaline. So, when our client suggested David Letterman as a partner, we suggested bringing in his INDYCAR team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) Racing.

As we looked a bit deeper under the hood, we uncovered that all three RLL co-owners—Dave Letterman, Bobby Rahal, and Mike Lanigan—had undergone major heart surgery, with Mike having specifically survived heart valve failure.

From there, we were off to the races. The parallels practically* wrote themselves: we swapped human heart valves for high-performance car valves, reframed routine doctor checkups as critical "pit stops," and urged audiences to stay "in the race" of life.

To bring the story to life, we partnered up with Oscar-winning director Cynthia Wade, to develop a cinematic short film that beautifully blends high-speed racing grit with the urgency of taking action for heart health.

*although, as a copywriter I have to take some credit.