National Blood Donor Week 2024 - Are you game to be golden?

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Do you know what plasma is?  

When people talk about donating blood, they’re usually talking about the red stuff, but plasma - the golden coloured liquid component of our blood - is equally important to collect.  

New Zealand’s plasma supply is fast approaching a tipping point, as demand for this ‘liquid gold’ in our blood continues to increase by over 10% year on year. This National Blood Donor Week, we leapt to the challenge to help raise awareness, educate the public, and inspire more people to donate plasma. 

Our Approach:  

With the Paris Olympics fresh in our mind, we set out to encourage Kiwis to join New Zealand’s golden lifesaving team - a team anyone can join without needing to be a world class athlete.  

Rich storytelling is always at the heart of our campaigns, as we helped tell the powerful stories of those whose lives have been saved by blood/plasma donations and those that choose to be donors.  

Layering paid media alongside earned content to support our education focus, we worked alongside national and regional media, to deliver stories with a clear call to action and the goal of encouraging a whole new cohort of New Zealanders to roll up their sleeves and join NZBS’ whānau of lifesavers. 

Results: 

  • Focusing on the week of National Blood Donor Week we secured 51 stories to help educate and inspire action.   
  • No stone unturned is our mantra, and we sought opportunities that would allow for Kiwis to tell their stories, as well as more in-depth informative storytelling, such as podcasts and highly visual online articles.  
  • 94% of our earned media stories included a quote from a NZBS spokesperson, 100% contained a key message, and 92% featured a direct call to action with instructions on how the reader could check their eligibility and book a donation appointment. 
  • We’re always hugely grateful to those who trust us to help share their stories, especially everyone who woke up early to brave live TV!  

Highlights included: