Excellence in Media Relations – Healthcare

Summary of work

Ahead of a predicted fall in blood stocks during the World Cup, this football-themed campaign set out to engage blood donors to make and keep their appointments and also reach out to  the next generation ‘youth squad’ of donors.

With media hungry for fresh angles and content relevant to the tournament, the campaign took an ‘earned media first’ approach to work with the news agenda and turn the potential issue into a communications opportunity.

Using a dual approach of mass awareness followed by audience-specific comms and content, the campaign landed coverage across target channels in the run-up to the tournament as football fever peaked, raising awareness of the need for donors to join ‘The Greatest Team in the World’.

Against the odds, national blood stocks were maintained throughout the tournament, ensuring supplies of vital supplies for health services including A&E, maternity and cancer care, as well as delivering a healthy ROI for a nominal public sector budget.

Judges comments

Once again, from NHS Blood and Transplant, a refreshing, creative and innovative approach with an impressive use of football link throughout. We all loved the image re-creation.