New York Blood Centre Donation Spot Gives Good Karma by the Pint

Miami-based advertising agency Markham Yard is launching 'Good Karma by the Pint,' an unorthodox new campaign to inspire people to donate blood on behalf of New York Blood Centre Enterprises (NYBCe), a community non-profit blood bank based in New York with donor centres in eight states. The largely digital campaign (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, programmatic CTV, programmatic audio) launches June 13th in those markets and will be evergreen. 

The objectives are to increase general awareness about the need for blood donations and also recruit people who have never previously considered donating. Additionally, NYBCe hopes to stimulate more regular donations from those who have previously contributed. 

This category of advertising presents some unique challenges: Blood donor campaigns typically speak to the societal benefits of donation or incentivize donation through perks. However, Markham Yard’s research revealed an insight: The social currency of being seen as someone who participates in a good cause is a powerful motivator. That became the inspiration for their two-minute Good Karma mini film, and derivative :30s, and :15s. Additionally, the shop created two 30-second radio spots based on the catchy custom song written to tell the story. 

This whimsical song tells the story of how one can get a spoonful of good karma through small everyday acts or give blood and get 'Good Karma by the Pint.' The action takes place in a playful, artfully crafted world rendered in a digital approximation of claymation by partner Roof Studio, which built this world inhabited by a diverse cross-section of everyday characters to show what life could look like if we all did what we could to keep the good karma flowing. 

“Blood donation is such a fundamentally important thing for people to understand and participate in,” said Markham Cronin, founder, Markham Yard. “Our goal was to amplify the reasons why they should donate in a way that is not preachy but engaging and fun.” 

“We’ve been working with Markham Yard for the last three years, and their original and clever campaigns have inspired more and more people to join the fight in ensuring a healthy blood supply,” said Andrea Cefarelli, senior vice president at New York Blood Centre Enterprises. “We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to how this new campaign will motivate folks to secure some good karma and donate blood.”

Earlier (September ‘23), Markham Yard targeted influencers with 'Extra Life,' a NYBCe campaign aimed at encouraging young people to return post-COVID to donating blood. The integrated campaign built upon the action, adventure and vibrant culture of classic video games to capture a feeling of youth, empowerment and pixelated nostalgia.

Markham Yard won the work in 2021 and is NYBCe’s AOR. New York Blood Centre Enterprises has donor centres in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Nebraska, Delaware, and Missouri. One of the largest independent, community-based blood centres in the world, it collects about 4,000 units of blood products each day and serves more than 75 million people. Established in 2005, Miami-based, Markham Yard offers big-brand thinking, strategy, design and creative in a concentrated form for both local and international clients. With global clients across an array of industries, Markham Yard offers the creative power of big agencies in a streamlined and nimble form.