TfL, Waterstones, Green & Black's and more show support for NHS National Blood Week
NHS Blood and Transplant has tapped a host of brands, media and celebrites to promote blood donation during National Blood Week.
The awareness week, which runs from 8-14 June, will see some partners removing the letters A, O and B – the letters that make up the main blood groups – from their names and titles, to draw attention to the need for new blood donors across all blood groups.
For example Waterstones will lose the A and O from its Trafalgar Square store, Odeon will dim the Os at its flagship Leicester Square cinema, Green and Black’s will alter the look of its Blood Orange bar and TFL will support the campaign on social channels.
Ahead of next week's activity, the Missing Type campaign, created by Engine, has kicked off today (5 June) which will include PR outreach to TV, radio, print and digital media using NHS Blood and Transplant-owned research, case studies and local/ regional support for the campaign delivered by Engine.
A partnership with Trinity Mirror, arranged through Carat, will see the Daily Mirror lose the A and O from its logo for the first time in its 112 year history. Activity in the publisher's regional titles including the Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo will also take place.
Title Eastern Eye will lose letters to gain traction amongst much-needed Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, supported by organisations and influencers with a high-impact on this particular audience.
Jon Latham, assistant director for donor services and marketing at NHS Blood and Transplant, explained the motivation behind the campaign: “We simply can’t ignore the fact that there has been a stark reduction in the number of new donors coming forward - a trend seen across the world. While we can meet the needs of patients now, it’s important we strengthen the donor base for the future."
NHS Blood and Transplant has recently introduced a digital appointment based system and app available on tablet and mobile to make the signing up process easier.