Finding a product marked down because it is nearing its expiration date sends an immediate message: time is running out.
Now imagine seeing that same label on a person.
That is the idea behind “Shelf Life,” a campaign by Health Equals, created by agency 23red, which uses a familiar visual cue to address a far more complex issue: inequalities in life expectancy.
Rather than relying solely on charts, percentages or reports, the campaign turns the discount labels typically found on products nearing their expiration dates into a metaphor that is difficult to ignore. Depending on where they live, some people may have significantly shorter life expectancies than others.
The campaign is built around a striking figure. According to an analysis by Health Equals, the gap in life expectancy between certain areas of the UK can be as wide as 18 years.
But communicating a statistic like this presents a challenge: how do you turn a number into something people can immediately grasp?
The creative response was to translate the data into a visual language millions of people already recognize. The campaign uses labels, packaging and design cues associated with products nearing their expiration dates to represent disparities in life expectancy linked to the conditions in different communities.
To launch the campaign, Health Equals installed oversized supermarket-style packaging at Old Spitalfields Market in London, with real people positioned inside. Each installation featured labels based on life expectancy data from different areas across the UK.
The initiative also encourages people to enter their postcode to discover the estimated life expectancy in their area and contact their political representatives to call for action on health inequalities.
“Shelf Life” transforms a statistic that can be difficult to visualize into something anyone can understand within seconds. Because when the difference can amount to as much as 18 years, perhaps the data did not need more explanation. It needed to be made visible.
Source: Health Equals