Donner Sang Compter is a Lebanese NGO that promotes voluntary blood donation. It helps patients in need of blood by linking them to voluntary blood donors registered on its database, or by raising stocks of blood banks through low-budget blood donation drives.

But, in Lebanon, this blood is never enough. And compounded by the fact that there is no central blood bank, patients in Lebanon are forced to turn to social media in desperation.

So, Donner Sang Compter sought help to create awareness about the importance of giving blood. The goal was to create buzz about blood donation by letting people know that it was meaningful to donate, and then enabling them to do so without much effort.

The big challenge here was to break through, on a low budget, in a cluttered media landscape and a politically-charged, war stricken country.

We tapped into a remarkably relevant occasion: Ashura. It is the tenth day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. It marks the day that Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, was martyred in the Battle of Karbala.

On the Day of Ashura, a day of public mourning, Muslims in Lebanon commemorate the death of Imam Hussein by spilling their blood.

But while these men willingly spill their blood on the streets, Lebanon remains in desperate need of anyone who will willingly donate their blood.

So, for Donner Sang Compter, we leveraged the Day of Ashura and diverted crowds to our blood donation drive called Blood Unity, an initiative that encouraged those who spilled blood to donate it instead.

Audience insight:

For some Muslims, Ashura is a solemn day of mourning the martyrdom of Hussein in 680 AD at Karbala in modern-day Iraq. It is marked with mourning rituals and parades on streets re-enacting the martyrdom and the sacrifice through bloodletting. We were targeting these Muslims who’d participate in blood-letting.

Communications opportunity:

What they hadn’t been told before was how their blood that is usually spilled could be used to benefit someone else if they only donated it.

PR strategy:

Give a new meaning to sacrificing blood. Educate about how their blood could save lives, by converting and transforming an occasion where they spilled blood into one where they donated blood to those in need.

Being sensitive:

We were addressing a sensitive religious topic that could ignite sectarian conflict. It could be seen as culturally offensive. We needed to show empathy and give a deeper meaning to the occasion.

For the visual identity, we tapped into imagery used over generations by Islamic groups to summon their followers. This imagery has always been wrongly associated with extremism, but we used it to convey a message of peace and unity.

For the logo design, we incorporated the Kufic script – one of most valuable Arabic calligraphies used by generations of Muslims. The geometric design allowed us to animate parts of the emblem to highlight blood circulation and donation levels on digital channels.

Through this, we not only brought the message about voluntary blood donation to new audiences but also provided increased opportunities for blood donation sessions at mobile sites and static sites.

Trucks, Ashura flags, outdoor and social media were the media we used to propagate a culture of tolerance and give, while removing the stigma of an otherwise violent event.

The campaign made it to all 5 major TV networks.

RESULT 1: CHANGE IN BEHAVIOUR

We turned bloodletting into blood giving. This campaign not only brought the message about voluntary blood donation to new audiences but also provided increased opportunities for blood donation sessions at mobile sites as well as static sites.

RESULT 2: RECORD HIGH BLOOD DONATION

Blood Donations in Lebanon hit a national record with this campaign. We collected 655 blood units; 400% more than what’s expected from a standard donation drive.

RESULT 3: LIVES SAVED

These blood units that were donated went on to save 1965 lives, compared to 360 from the usual 3-day blood donation drives.

RESULT 4: AWARENESS AND FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FIRST NATIONAL BLOOD BANK

The nation took its first strides towards creating Lebanon’s only National Blood Bank. The campaign also gained political commitment and support from health and religious authorities who advocated participation and expressed their blessings on the “alternative way of sacrificing”.