My blood is ruby red & black
Secretaria da Saude do Estado da Bahia
Issue 25 | December 2012
Agency
Leo Burnett Tailor Made, Brazil
Creative Team
Creative VP: Marcelo Reis Creative Directors: Guilherme Jahara, Rodrigo Jatene Art Directors: Rodolfo Fernandes, Alexandre Pagano Copywriters: Erick Mendonca, Joao Caetano Brasil
Production Team
Agency Production: Celso Groba, Maria Fernanda Moura, Camila Aquino, Rafael Messias Production Company: Brasileira Filmes, Vetor Zero Director: Bia Flecha, Fernando Sanches Audio Producer: AudioBoutique
Other Credits
Client Approval: Roberto Schlindwein (Hemoba), Carlos Sergio Falcao (EC Vitoria), Adilson Baptista Jr (EC Vitoria), Lendro Hamiro dos Santos (Penalty)
Date
June 2012
Background
June and July are the two months of the year when blood supplies are at their lowest in Brazil. Hemoba, the blood bank for the state of Bahia, needed a 25% increase in blood donors to meet the expected demand.
Idea
The insight was that people usually only donate blood when someone they know and like is in need.
So, who does (just about) everyone know and like in the area? The players of the local football club.
Vitória is a well-supported team in Brazil. They usually play in red and black but for the duration of the campaign, the red was taken out of their shirts. It would only be returned, stripe by stripe, if the fans gave blood.
The more they gave, the more red was returned to the strip.
On the first day of the campaign, when they ran onto the field in black and white stripes, flyers were given to all the fans and press kits provided for all the journalists.
A TV ad ran immediately after the game was shown and a Facebook page created.
It took ten matches to get the shirts back to their original red and black.
Results
Increase of 46% in blood donations (21% over the original objective).
An investment of US$ 15,000 generated US$ 8 million in spontaneous media.
Approximately 130 million people were impacted: more than 1 billion page views on the web and 935 minutes of TV exposure, including games, after-game shows and articles about the campaign.
Videogame players adapted the new shirts for Pro Evolution Soccer 2012. Pirate copies were made and sold by street vendors. The action is to be the subject of a documentary film. Coincidence or not, Vitória became champions of the second division.
Our Thoughts
How do you reach an audience measured in millions when you have no money? How do you get on TV when you can’t even afford to make a commercial?
You let the sports channels do all the work for you.
Brilliant.
Of course, when the Irish bookmakers Paddy Power persuaded the entire Tongan rugby team to dye their hair green at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the authorities were unamused. Nor would they allow Epi Taione to change his name by deed poll to Paddy Power.
Here, blood donation was in everyone’s interests so there was goodwill all round.