Lifejacket Stories

Client: RNLI

Helly Hansen and the RNLI entered a strategic partnership in 2018, with the technical sailing brand committing to supporting the RNLI for the following five years through a variety of life-saving activities. These include delivering drowning prevention messages to their customers, generating income, supporting fundraising and safety campaigns, product innovation and supplying the very best kit to the RNLI’s lifesavers.

In Spring 2021, Helly Hansen launched the Lifejacket Stories campaign to help the RNLI deliver key safety messaging to its boating and sailing audiences, with the aim of increasing lifejacket wear rates. Helly Hansen created a series of real-life stories from people that have been saved thanks to their lifejackets and amplified these with a PR survey of lifejacket habits and a photography stunt by dressing prominent statues around the coastlines of the UK and Ireland. This was coupled with lifejacket clinics taking place at key sailing events throughout the season, a complimentary service conducted by trained RNLI professionals to carry out lifejacket safety checks before the start of the race.