2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

BLOOD UNITY

Short List
BrandDONNER SANG COMPTER (DSC)
Product/ServiceASHURA BLOOD DONATION DRIVE
EntrantFP7 McCANN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategorySocial Behaviour & Cultural Insight
Idea Creation FP7 McCANN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement FP7 McCANN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR FP7 McCANN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production AFP SERVICES Beirut, LEBANON
Additional Company McCANN HEALTH Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Additional Company 2 FP7 McCANN BEIRUT, LEBANON

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

In Lebanon, on the Day of Ashura, a section of Muslims engage in blood-letting to mourn for their slain prophet, in a region with no central blood bank and difficulty in getting access to donated blood. DSC (Donner Sang Compter) saw an opportunity to transform this experience from one where they spilled blood to one where they donated it instead. With the help of religious leaders and DSC volunteers, and our on-site activations, we converted this journey into the most successful blood drives.

Background

Donner Sang Compter is a Lebanese NGO that promotes voluntary blood donation. It helps patients in need of blood by linking them to voluntary blood donors registered on its database, or by raising stocks of blood banks through low-budget blood donation drives and their mobile clinics. But, in Lebanon, this blood is never enough, especially in those times of strife. Compounded by the fact that there is no central blood bank, patients in Lebanon are forced to turn to social media in desperation. So, Donner Sang Compter sought help to create awareness about the importance of giving blood. The goal was to create buzz about blood donation by letting people know that it was meaningful to donate, and then enabling them to do so without much effort. The big challenge here was to break through, on a low budget, in a cluttered media landscape and a politically-charged, war stricken country.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We tapped into a remarkably relevant, occasion: Ashura. It is the tenth day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. It marks the day that Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, was martyred in the Battle of Karbala. On the Day of Ashura, a day of public mourning, Muslims in Lebanon commemorate the death of Imam Hussein by spilling their blood. But while these men willingly spill their blood on the streets, Lebanon remains in desperate need of anyone who will willingly donate their blood. So, for Donner Sang Compter, we leveraged the Day of Ashura and diverted crowds to our blood donation drive called Blood Unity, an initiative that encouraged those who spilled blood to donate it instead.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Audience insight: For some Muslims, Ashura is a solemn day of mourning the martyrdom of Hussein in 680 AD. It is marked with mourning rituals and parades on streets re-enacting the martyrdom and the sacrifice through bloodletting. We were primarily targeting these Muslims who’d participate in blood-letting. Engagement opportunity: What these men hadn’t been told before was how their blood, that is usually spilled, could be used to benefit others if they donated it instead. In other words – instead of wasting blood on the streets, put it to good use by donating it. Strategic approach: Our activation strategy was to educate the same people who would ordinarily take part in bloodletting about how their blood could save lives. We used this occasion to stock blood banks in Lebanon, while driving awareness around the importance of blood donation and changing behaviours on this day and future Days of Ashura.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

We created a "Blood Unity" emblem and a call to donate, inspired by the visual language of religious icons of the muslim faith On the Day of Ashura, we got Muslim preachers known as Imams to talk about the campaign on social media, and even to actively participate in diverting crowds from blood spilling parades to blood donation stations, provided by DSC. We parked our blood donation trucks in the middle of the parade, and passersby were all educated on how blood donation could and should become an alternative and more positive way of demonstrating the sacrifice. Outdoor billboards, banners, flags and social media posts invited participation, increasing blood donations by 400%+ (a new record).

List the results (30% of vote)

We turned bloodletting into blood giving. A donor who formerly spilled blood said, “I used to be one of those people that struck my head with an open razor until I realized that the blood spilled on the floor, was needed by so many others.” This campaign not only brought the message about voluntary blood donation to new audiences but also got the Muslim religious establishment to endorse the idea. Blood Donations in Lebanon hit a national record with this campaign. We collected 655 blood units; 400% increase in previous initiatives, that went on to save 1965 lives, compared to 360 from the usual 3-day blood donation drives. While the amount of blood raised was important, what was also important was the amount of awareness raised among Lebanese, and this has helped the nation take strides towards creating Lebanon’s first National Blood Bank.

Please tell us about the social behaviour and / or cultural insights that inspired your campaign

On the Day of Ashura, a day of public mourning, Muslims in Lebanon commemorate the death of Imam Hussein by spilling their blood. But while these men willingly spill their blood on the streets, Lebanon remains in desperate need of anyone who will willingly donate their blood. So, for Donner Sang Compter, we leveraged the Day of Ashura and diverted crowds to our blood donation drive called Blood Unity, an initiative that encouraged those who spilled blood to donate it instead.

Credits

Name Company Role
Fouad Abdel Malak FP7McCann Creative Lead
Oliver Robinson FP7McCann Creative Lead
Karim Kazan FP7McCann, Beirut Creative
Karen Kamel McCann Health, Dubai Account Management
Emile Atallah FP7McCann, Beirut Account Management
Prajakta More McCann Healh, Dubai Creative
Taskeen Limalia McCann, Health Creative
Tahaab Rais FP7 McCann MENAT Strategy
Carl Bou Abdallah FP7McCann, Beirut Planning
Lucas Velasco Fuse FP7McCann Creation
Deydson Maik F Rocha FP7McCann Creation
Rosy Mouallem FP7McCann, Beirut Creative
Ramadan Ghali RG (Freelance) Calligrapher
David Sanchez FP7McCann, Dubai Copywriting
Nerine Gardiner FP7McCann, Dubai Copywriting
Jimmy Cobos FP7McCann, Dubai Design
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