Title	GIVE BLOOD. GIVE POWER. CHAMPIONS FOR CHILDREN
Brand	GERMAN RED CROSS
Product/Service	BLOOD DONATION
Category	B04. FUNDRAISING, CHARITIES, APPEALS, NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS, PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY, PUBLIC AWARENESS
Entrant Company	JUNG von MATT Hamburg, GERMANY
Advertising Agency	JUNG von MATT Hamburg, GERMANY

Name	Company	Position
Dörte Spengler/Ahrens	Jung Von Matt AG	Executive Creative Director
Jan Rexhausen	Jung Von Matt AG	Executive Creative Director
Christoph Metzelder	Jung Von Matt AG	Managing Director
Katia Kraus	Jung Von Matt AG	Managing Director
Raphael Brinkert	Jung Von Matt AG	Managing Director
Felix Fenz	Jung Von Matt AG	Creative Director
Savina Mokreva	Jung Von Matt AG	Art Director
Robin Stam	Jung Von Matt AG	Copywriter
Lisa Währer	Jung Von Matt AG	Project Manager
Julia Schreiber	Jung Von Matt AG	Project Manager
Danilo Kloefer	Jung Von Matt AG	Agency Producer
Mhoch4	Mhoch4	Pr/Marketing/Production
Sören Brandenburg	Jung Von Matt AG	Director
Nadine Dominicus	N/S	Producer
Anna/Lena Tisson	Mhoch4	Producer
Bettina Ballhause	N/S	Producer
Hendrik Bleier	N/S	Editor
Victor Segovia Navarro	N/S	Idea
Javier Gelpi De Fez	N/S	Idea
Jürgen Alswede	N/S	Camera

The Campaign

Every day, about 17.000 children and adults in Germany are in need of blood transfusions. To fulfill this enormous need, the German Red Cross needed a campaign to get more blood donors. But for sick children to survive, they not only need blood, but also a lot of fighting power and will to win. How can we motivate sick children and get more blood donors at the same time? For "Give Blood. Give Power.", famous soccer players from Germany donated their blood for sick children. They fuction as role models for amateur soccer players and other fans in a big PR-campaign. Additionaly, the soccer players promoted the action on their popular social networks so the message spread to their followers. As most children in Germany are huge soccer fans, the idea of having the blood of their favorite football player running through their veins encourages them and gives new hope. On the labels of the blood bags the young patients could see which of their football idols helped them win their fight. Additionally, a billboard campaign and posters appealed for blood donations from regional football clubs in Germany. And this worked. In just the first three weeks of the campaign over 9000 amateur football players registered as donors. The PR-campaign made its way through all platforms: telvision, online video channels, Facebook and Twitter. Free media earnings as a result of the campaign were over 1,5 Million Euro.

The Brief

The Goal: awareness for the lack of blood donors in Germany and turning the perception of the general public towards a more positive image of blood donation and give it a more heroic image. Target: all people in Germany who are authorized to donate blood and sick children who get hope because of the action.

Results

- In just the first three weeks of the campaign over 9000 amateur football players registered as donors. - The campaign was published on almost 500 online platforms (journalistic and video platforms) and got a total of 18 million views. - 700.000 followers reached on social media. - The campaign got coverage on almost every television network in Germany. Free media earnings of the exposure on national television: more than 1,5 million Euro. - The sick children got more hope and power because of the action. The effect of this only time will tell...

Execution

We asked Germany's most famous soccer players to form a special, club-independent team that helps sick children in the fight against their disease. Many players agreed on this. After this, we issued press releases that soccer player Julien Draxler is going to give blood for the action. We made special banderoles so children could see which of their famous soccer players joined the action to give them hope. This would also draw attention from people in the hospital and the press. One by one, we revealed the other football legends, in order to spread the PR-message. Additionally we launched a billboard campaign and used posters to appeal for donations of blood from regional football clubs all over Germany.

The Situation

The German Red Cross is an organisation that saves people, they help in emergency situations, help poor people and those in need. One of their tasks is to get more blood donations. Every day, about 17.000 people in Germany are in need of blood. And there are not enough blood donors. With almost no budget, the Red Cross wanted to get attention for this problem and motivate others to do something about it.

The Strategy

We wanted to take blood donation out of the sterile medical environment and bring it to an environment where most Germans can identify with: football. And we wanted the children to perceive their necessary blood bags not just as means of survival, but as symbols of hope and power.