American Red Cross Asks What's Your Type in Blood Donation Campaign
In January this year, the American Red Cross announced that it is experiencing the lowest number of people giving blood in the last 20 years. In all, the number of people donating blood has dropped by 40% over the last two decades.
To urge people to donate blood and educate them on why blood donation is so important, BBDO New York has created two PSA films; 'What’s Your Type?' and 'Growing Up'. Both films were produced by MJZ and directed by Charlotte Wells, a Scottish director who is known for her beautiful and emotional storytelling. Her feature film debut Aftersun premiered in 2022 during Critics' Week at Cannes Film Festival, receiving 121 nominations and 33 awards, including Gotham and British Independent Film Awards. Charlotte has worked on numerous other films, such as Blue Christmas, and her films have been screened at festivals all around the globe.
Each film of the campaign is targeted to a specific audience. Since “What’s Your Type?” is for the general market, BBDO New York wanted to create something relatable, so it started with a conversation around types. If you ask someone what their type is, they’ll likely have an answer, but very rarely is that answer about their blood type. To inspire people to donate blood, the spot reframed this all too familiar 'type' conversation to be about saving lives with a unique misdirect. The PSA intentionally begins in a familiar format - with light hearted music, a curated diverse cast, and upbeat pacing that feels like dating app ads we’ve seen over and over again. But by breaking this format with a crash and the dire medical emergency to follow, the film reminds viewers that anyone can need blood at any time. By showing that all types of blood can save all types of people, it turns a question based on self-interest into the selfless act of blood donation because you don’t have to be someone’s type to be the type to help save their life.
'Growing Up' targets the Hispanic market (who have a higher rate of birth complications) and tells the story of a mother and her son, intertwining two stories that take place on two different days. One is the son’s birth and the other is the day of his kindergarten graduation. The PSA uses unique editing and direction to weave in and out of both stories taking the viewer on an emotional journey.
The film ends leaving the viewer guessing if the storyline of the graduation happened at all. But what is painfully clear is that the child’s life cannot be saved without blood donations.
