Exciting campaign to encourage new blood donors
Join in the fun of the Missing Type Campaign and help the SANBS attract more blood donations.
Attention, all South African brands.
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) wants to (temporarily) “steal” a few letters from your name.
But it’s for an excellent cause.
In an innovative bid to attract new, young blood donors, the blood service will again take part in the international Missing Type campaign, from June 11 to 18.
The campaign asks organisations to remove the letters A, B and O (symbolising the “missing” blood types with the same letters) from their logos or names for a week.
Since launching globally a few years ago, the initiative has notched up phenomenal success, spurring thousands of new blood donors to sign up worldwide.
The SANBS hopes this irreverent “disappearing act” will similarly weave a special kind of magic here, where only one per cent of South Africans give blood regularly.
“Imagine life without the letters A, B and O … let alone playing Scrabble,” said Silungile Mlambo, the SANBS’s chief marketing officer.
“South African big businesses have the power to change the fact that our country faces constant blood shortages – and save lives at the same time.
“We’re asking local brands, sports teams, corporates and landmarks to tweak their logos and ‘donate’ their As, Bs and Os for just a week.
“Deleting the letters of the main blood groups from your company’s name in your adverts, email signatures and other marketing material is a fun and interactive way to raise awareness of South Africa’s urgent need for new blood donors.”
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The Missing Type campaign runs from June 11 to 18, with World Blood Donor Day falling on June 14.
“It really is critical for the SANBS to replenish blood stocks at this time of year, with the school holidays just around the corner.
“This will inevitably cause a spike in the demand for blood transfusions,” said Mlambo.
“We are confident that our #MissingType campaign will help boost supply by capturing the imagination of South African businesses and their employees.
“So come on, CEOs, shed your As, Bs and Os – patients need them more than you do.”
Mlambo said sports teams will also be asked to throw their support behind the campaign, while the public can get involved by deleting the “blood types” from their names on social media for the week.
Visit www.sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31 for more information or to find out where to volunteer as a blood donor.
Join the #MissingType conversation on Twitter (@theSANBS), Facebook (@SANBS) and Instagram (@thesanbs).
The GCN is also on board with the initiative and dropped our O for the week.
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