Romania ranks second to last in Europe for donating blood. Only 0.2% of young people are active donors. Romanians die every day due to lack of blood.
UNTOLD, the biggest music festival organized in Transylvania, the land of Dracula, was the perfect opportunity to show young people that donating blood can be part of their everyday life.
UNTOLD festival joined forces with Romania’s National Institute for Blood Transfusions to launch Pay with blood: a campaign offering free or discounted tickets for any donation in one of the 42 donation centers in Romania. And because it happened in Transylvania, Dracula endorsed our campaign.
The campaign was communicated in all the ticket selling points, donation centers and on social media.
Pay with blood generated more than 1000 pieces of national and international news, producing 1.431.571 euro in earned media and 129.121.728 media impressions.
But most importantly, 1596 tickets were Payed with blood, saving 3192 lives. Pay with blood created a new breed of donors that will be more likely to donate blood again in the future
The Brief
Instead of trying to guilt or shock people in order to donate blood, like most donation campaigns, we decided to offer the young people an attractive incentive instead. We targeted the festival-loving youth in Romania and tried to convert them into regular blood donors.
Execution
Untold, the biggest music festival located in Transylvania, joined forces with Romania’s National Institute for Blood Transfusions to launch Pay with Blood, a campaign offering attractive incentives: a free one-day pass for donations in mobile centers in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca, or a 30% ticket discount for any donation in one of the 42 donation centers in Romania.
And because it was located in Transylvania, Dracula endorsed our campaign.
Pay with blood was communicated in all the ticket selling points and donation centers. Posters were shared on social media, while some international artists form the festival line-up promoted our cause.
Our message got the attention of national and international press, which took out message further.
The campaign generated more than 1000 pieces of national and international news, including: BBC, CNBC, Euro News, TIME, the Guardian and many others. In total, it produced 1.431.571 euro in earned media and 129.121.728 media impressions.
Hundreds of people queued to donate blood. As a result, some transfusion centers had to extend schedule. The regional hospital in Cluj-Napoca ran out of space for blood bags.
In two weeks, 1596 tickets were Payed with blood, saving 3192 lives. But most importantly, Pay with blood created a new breed of donors that are more likely to donate blood again in the future.
The Strategy
Instead of trying to guilt or shock people in order to donate blood, like most donation campaigns, we decided to offer the young people an attractive incentive instead. We targeted the festival-loving youth in Romania and tried to convert them into regular blood donors.