Y&R and NY Organ Donor Network Spark Pride in New Yorkers' Hearts

New Yorkers pride themselves on being the best at many things, which is why it’s shocking to note that they are actually ranked 49th out of the 50 states in a really important area – life-saving organ donation. Every 15 hours, another New Yorker dies while waiting for a donated organ. When asked, 83% of New Yorkers will tell you that they support organ donation – yet only 23% are actually registered to be donors.

On October 1, Y&R New York and the New York Organ Donor Network launched a new campaign with the goal of increasing donor registration in the greater New York metropolitan area, and ultimately saving more lives. The campaign, “Long Live New York,” is designed to tap into New York pride and inspire us to fight for the thing that makes New York great - New Yorkers. The campaign also speaks to the duality of donation. Those who do register are not only helping to ensure that New Yorkers and New York live on, but also that they will live on through a meaningful legacy.

The centerpiece of the new effort is an animated film directed by Laurent Witz, the Oscar-winning director and writer of the 2013 animated short film, Mr. Hublot. The film, also called “Long Live New York,” opens with a look at an empty Grand Central Station in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world.  The world-famous station’s iconic clock is on the verge of losing power, and New York City at large is crumbling to pieces. The dramatic orchestral music intensifies as New Yorkers are seen carrying various parts of the city – street signs, manhole covers, park benches, even the Grand Central clock – to an unknown location. A sculptor then unveils the new, beating heart he has built for New York City using the donated parts that have been brought to him. We see that hope and life are restored to a once-gloomy, melancholic city.

In early September, New York Organ Donor Network launched an unbranded teaser campaign, which included the launch of @LongLive_NY on Twitter, NYC subway posters, cards handed out at Union Square, Washington Square Park, Grand Central and other heavily trafficked NYC locations, paid social ads, and a webpage - loveliveny.org - with a countdown clock and email capture. Effective today, a digital media buy will roll out across Facebook, Hulu and Say Media inviting people to view the video. Blue Fountain Media handled the digital production and social media, and Sunshine Sachs is overseeing consumer PR.