Behind the Innovative Ad Spotlighting Canadian Blood Donors

We’ve all seen it before – a charitable organisation pulls out every cliché in the book to tug on heartstrings by showcasing people in need, with a clear and obvious request for donations, immediately. (Bonus points if Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Angel’ is the soundtrack). It’s a tired strategy, which, unfortunately, has a hard time cutting through at this point. It’s not that people don’t want to help, but in a world desperately in need of acts of generosity, benevolence and goodness, to convince people your cause is worthwhile, you’ve got to find a way to stand out and sit in people’s minds for the long term.

This is exactly what Canadian Blood Services achieved with its recent campaign launch, brought to life in partnership with creative agency Diamond. Consisting of a fresh brand platform, ‘Who’s Saving Who’, the work had the lofty goal of kickstarting a push for one million new blood donors by 2030 – the organisation’s most ambitious recruitment goal ever – and did so with great imagination. Specifically, the initiative, headlined by the hero film ‘I Am Here to Save You’, flips the script on traditional category expectations by shifting the spotlight off those in need… to the donors themselves. Sure, the spot depicts patients delivering emotionally resonant dialogue, but it’s all about providing a heartfelt acknowledgement of those who opt to give, and emphasising the benefits that come with making such a commitment.

To learn how Diamond settled on utilising such an approach, and, in general, how this all came to life, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with the agency’s chief creative officer, Peter Ignazi, and chief strategy officer, Lori Davison, as well as Canadian Blood Services’ director of integrated marketing, Moira MacIntosh, for a chat.

LBB> Launching a new brand platform is no small task. As such, what was the brief, and what made now the right time for this?

Moira> Demand for blood in Canada is projected to increase by nearly 10% over the next five years. So, we need to recruit one million new donors.

We know from research that we are a highly respected brand, but that there is an opportunity to create a stronger emotional connection with our cause. That was the brief. Unlock a new insight, a new way of talking about blood donation, and a new way of connecting with potential donors who we haven't been able to reach with our traditional messaging.

LBB> Tell us more about this new recruitment goal! Why is demand for donations expected to go up in the coming years, and what do you think it’ll take to achieve one million donors by 2030?

Moira> Demand for blood donations has increased for many reasons. Population growth is one, and Canada’s aging population is another. But also, progress in what is possible with modern medical treatment and care is supported by blood, plasma, organ and stem cell donations. Lives that once could not be saved, are now being saved every day.

LBB> Building on this, what made the decision to focus on the donors the right way to garner attention in pursuit of this goal, and how did that factor into the ideation process?

Moira> Donors are the protagonist in this story. We want every potential donor to see themselves in this way of giving. When it comes to donating blood, 100% of what you give goes to those in need. That's unique in the charitable space.

Many long-term blood donors are also people for whom donation is not only their routine, but their identity. So, we spoke directly with many of these donors, and what stood out was the meaning they attached to biological giving. It’s more than a good deed; it’s a source of purpose, a tangible way to connect with others, provides a powerful sense of accomplishment that comes from giving something uniquely human, and is profoundly impactful. It’s a way of giving back, but one that they also get a lot out of.

Peter> Looking at the regular donors really was important. When we asked the 50-plus time donors ‘why do you do this?’, the answers, although quite altruistic in intent, were really, in the end, all about the feeling THEY got by giving.

Lori> With that in mind, we got to the idea of ‘Amazing things happen when you give you’. So, we immediately started to think about what the donor gets out of giving, which became the focus of the story we wanted to tell.

LBB> From here, what was the writing process like? How did you find the right tone, and ensure the final spot would have emotional resonance?

Peter> We knew the first line had to be delivered by someone who seemed stereotypically ‘needy’, speaking directly to camera but saying the words to the viewer, ‘I’m here to save you’. This turned everything on its head. From then on with the script, it was our job to hold ourselves back, otherwise known as ‘Hemingway time’ (say as little as you need to in order to get the message across).

LBB> For production, you worked with Scouts Honour’s James Michael Chiang. What made him the right person for the job, and what was the collaboration like?

Peter> We’d worked with James before (Lori and I specifically for a SickKids spot). So, we knew he had the artistry and restraint to tell this story in the most economically powerful way possible. What you see on film is mostly the scenes in the script, but he brought things to the table that challenged our preconceptions of what the spot would be.

LBB> Tell us about the production process! What was casting like, where did you shoot, and do you have any anecdotes from on set?

Peter> We worked with the best, Jigsaw Casting, and found actors that delivered the huge emotional gravitas that each line required. What’s really impressive was that, to my knowledge, I don’t think anyone was a recipient. In fact, one actor was a regular donor, ironically. Also, the woman giving birth had never had a baby. They were all awesome.

As for production, we filmed in and around Toronto. It was a three-day shoot, and it couldn’t have gone smoother. I wish I had a funny story about a kangaroo shitting all over someone’s kitchen (that did happen to me on location once), but honestly, it was super smooth, especially considering a lot of the talent was relatively inexperienced. Even the car flip was flawless.

LBB> In particular, both the hospital and accident scenes really stand out. What did it take to lend them gravity and authenticity?

Peter> We had the aftermath of an accident scene in the original script, but we had no actual ‘accident’ happening. The car flip and the actor’s head smashing against the glass? That was all brought by Scouts Honour.

Frankly, it made everyone nervous. Was it going to be too violent for the spot? Personally, I didn’t think it was necessary, but we had such trust in James and the production team that we said “go for it”. One of my favourite things in this business is being proved wrong… and I was clearly wrong here. That moment is a shocking pause in the narrative that really made the spot.

As for the hospital scene, it’s all about the actor (who incidentally called her mother the night before for ‘labour tips’), as well as what James got out of her.

LBB> Of course, this is a multi-channel campaign. What did it take to bring the other aspects to life, such as the OOH?

Peter> Believe it or not, the campaign actually started with out-of-home. I love that. When you can convey a powerful message in one picture and one line, you can transform an idea into any medium, effortlessly.

LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?

Peter> I’ve been fortunate enough to have been involved with a couple successful campaigns in my day. In the end, everyone forgets about all the challenges that were overcome to get there… and there’s always a tonne. But honestly, this was ridiculously easy. As it passed through one stakeholder group to another, we kept getting worried, but nothing bad would arise. The clients and pretty much everyone we encountered ‘got it’ and got behind it immediately.

LBB> Do you have any lessons learned from the making of this new campaign?

Moira> We learned that placing our trust in the creative process proves to be a path to great work.

We also were reminded that it’s important to take the time to get it right. There were pressures to go to market sooner, but we had to get the strategy and planning right, before moving into execution.

Peter> It’s sort of a universal lesson for this business that we keep forgetting, but build that relationship with the client well before any creative presentation. Listen to them before you automatically get your back up. They know more about their business than you do. And when you have a great idea, keep it simple. Make your point, get the best team on board, and then get the fuck out of the way and let them do their shit.

LBB> What has the initial response been like?

Moira> The response has been very positive. We’ve had outreach from donors and recipients, as well as from blood operator peers around the globe, all of whom see this as a powerful reframing of the act of giving and its reciprocal benefits. We are very excited about the potential of this new platform.

LBB> Finally, is there an element of this campaign you’re most proud of?

Moira> We are most proud of the courage and collaboration that our team and partners demonstrated in bringing something very different to the market. We are also exceptionally grateful for the involvement and support of our donors.

Peter> I’ve rarely met a client team that cares about what they do more than these guys. They lose sleep when the blood levels get critically low. So, our biggest fear was letting them down. I honestly think that by focusing on the benefit to the donor rather than guilting them, we’ve given Canadian Blood Services something that is really going to do good in the world.