Canadian Blood Services is getting social.
In an effort to attract a new generation of blood donors, the Ottawa-based org has set up thankyourdonor.ca, a Web 2.0 microsite where recipients can post videos, messages and photos to thank blood donors.
‘When a recipient comes into a clinic and says ‘thank you’ face to face to a donor, that’s a really powerful and emotional experience. It brings to life why blood donors do what they do,’ says Steve Harding, executive director, marketing and communications at Canadian Blood Services (CBS). ‘We wanted to bring that to life online.’
The effort is being promoted entirely through social networking efforts, including a Flickr group and a new YouTube channel,youtube.com/thankyourdonor, where CBS is cross-posting the thank-you videos from the microsite. CBS and its Vancouver-based social media agency Radar DDB are also reaching out to like-minded organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society and asking them to link to and blog about the site on their own websites and existing Facebook groups. ‘We’re trying to make this as much of a groundswell as possible,’ says Harding.
‘Our primary goal with this initiative is to attract 17- to 24-year-olds and talk to people as they enter into that age demographic,’ he continues. ‘[We want to] communicate the power of blood donation and what it can do.’
advertiser: Jim Jeang, marketing manager; Steve Harding, executive director, marketing and communications, Canadian Blood Services
agencies: Tribal DDB Vancouver, Radar DDB
CD: Cosmo Campbell
ACD/ copywriter: Cameron Warden
designers: Gerard Barcelon, Todd Takahashi
flash developer: Mike Schimanowsky
producer: Rich Morgan
digital cultivator: James Chutter
producer/ strategist: Blaine Pearson
You are cordially invited to submit your new, dead clever and previously unrevealed campaigns to editorial director Mary Maddever at mmaddever@brunico.com and CD Stephen Stanley at sstanley@brunico.com, co-curators of strategy’s Creative space.
