Excellence in Public Health Communications

Summary of work

Understanding the uses of blood encourages more donors to give... but educational messages need creative clout to cut-through. The campaign was launched with a topical image of ‘comeback king’ David Bowie inviting past donors to become a ‘hero’ once again, and the compelling call to action, ‘Know Blood Give Blood’, appealed also to first-time donors to make their contribution. Enviable broadcast coverage and pro bono celebrity support provided mass appeal, backed up with digital content shared among the donor community.

Judges comments

On a limited budget, activities delivered during National Blood Week 2013 stood out to the judges in this category. Setting out to drive new, and encourage repeat, donors, the campaign brilliantly leveraged celebrity endorsement and utilised creative tactics to make donating blood more accessible to the general population. Clear insights were used to drive increased awareness and led to undisputed public action.