THE BRIDGE

Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

OBJECTIVE

To generate calls to the donor registration line - 0845 90 90 999
To increase blood donations to offset the long-term erosion of the Scottish donor base
To recruit 50% more new donors in the year of the campaign launch than had been recruited in 2003/04

To separate out a clear role for the advertising (to ask people to register to become a blood donor) and a clear role for the BTL activity (to manage the database).
To make sure that the advertising made a personal connection with the donor and that people knew that their individual contribution would be important.
To develop a ‘tap’ strategy for donor supply whereby the advertising could run when there was a need for blood – thus minimising wastage.
To ensure the response mechanism was central to the creative idea

Research from world-wide donor recruitment campaigns revealed the biggest single reason non-donors gave for not giving blood was that they felt they had never personally been asked. Although people were aware of a general request or appeal for blood donors, they didn’t feel it was actually directed at them. The advertising needed to feel like a personal request.

In the first month of the campaign, nearly 300% more calls were generated for only 35% more media spend and the cost per response on TV fell from £41 to £19.
In the first year of the campaign, the SNBTS recruited 55,881 new donors; the highest ever number in a single year.
The campaign strategy has since worked like a tap turning donor supply on and off to deliver precisely 100% of the prescribed target through 2006.
The campaign was four times more effective in recruiting new donors and twice as effective in persuading returning donors to donate.
Prompted awareness of the integrated campaign reached 95% of the Scottish population.
This campaign has won numerous awards

2005 Scottish Advertising Awards - Best Radio Commercial and Best Radio Campaign.

2005 Scottish IPA Effectiveness Awards - Gold Award and Special Award for Best Direct Response Campaign

2007 Scottish Marketing Excellence Awards - Strategic Excellence (shortlisted)