Agency Pavone Helps Donate Life Pennsylvania Smash Donor Registration Goal

180,000 new registered organ and tissue donors from 2015 to 2018: That was the ambitious goal set by Donate Life Pennsylvania, an organisation that builds awareness about the importance of donation and encourages people to register. Reaching this goal increases the chances that the more than 8,000 Pennsylvanians waiting for a life-saving transplant may receive a second chance at life.

Working with Harrisburg marketing agency Pavone, Donate Life PA has surpassed the milestone, logging 198,163 registrations — with three months still remaining. To get there, they embarked on the organisation's most thought-provoking marketing campaign to date, leaving no stone unturned and targeting would-be donors with outdoor, print, social media and digital video.

“WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?”

Efforts over the past three years included Pavone’s “Which Side Are You On?” campaign, which highlighted the perceived differences between organ donor registrants and those who aren’t registered. The campaign pulled no punches, delivering a compelling call-to-action to not sit on the fence any longer, but make the life-saving decision to register as a donor.

EAST VS. WEST

“Which Side Are You On?” campaigns included a statewide media buy, with targeted billboards that pitted Pittsburgh and Philadelphia residents against each other in an organ donor registration battle that tapped into cross-state rivalries.

The Philadelphia billboard - in black and gold and signed “Pittsburgh” - taunted Eagles fans with the claim that “You got no heart, Philly” and challenged proud residents to “prove us wrong” by signing up to be an organ donor. The Pittsburgh billboard, in green and white, delivered a similar jab.

“HUMAN SIDE OF DONATION”

To provide a balance between the emotional and rational messaging of the “Which Side Are You On?” campaign, Pavone developed a series of vignettes that showcased the “Human Side of Donation.” These videos - posted on Facebook and as YouTube pre-roll ads - featured people at all stages of the donation process, including families of donors, organ recipients and those on the waiting list.  

Donate Life Pennsylvania is a collaborative initiative between the Gift of Life Donor Program, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education and the Pennsylvania Departments of Education, Health and Transportation. It is funded by Pennsylvania residents through voluntary contributions to the Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund, including driver’s license renewals, vehicle registrations and state income tax filings.