The “Get Me To 21” campaign broke category norms and proved its ability to demand attention, for a predominantly ignored/avoided cause. It changed behaviour in a very noisy and cluttered media landscape by telling a story without the influence of Organ Donor Foundation brand and its associations in the forefront.

With a total media budget of zero, the only way to make a difference was through the clever use of PR tactics. It was launched, using an online video invitation of a 19-year-old girl (on the organ transplant waiting list) inviting South Africa to her 21st birthday party, a microsite: www.getme.to21.com, an online form to make organ donation registration quick and easy, a campaign hashtag: #GetMeTo21 and a target social media launch.

It made such an impact that a nation-wide conversation began, generating more Twitter impressions than Twitter users, flooding traditional media channels (12 radio interviews, 16 print/press articles, 29 articles/blogs, 3 TV interviews), earning a total of R17 million in traditional media and increasing the year-on-year registration rate by more than 287%.

However, the most important result: Jenna got her new pair of lungs.

With a total media budget of zero, the campaign came to life between 7 October 2014 - 12 December 2014 using:

• A personal online video invitation to Jenna Lowe’s 21st birthday party.

• A microsite: www.getme.to21.com developed specifically for the campaign.

• A simplified online form to make organ donation registration quick and easy.

• A campaign hashtag: #GetMeTo21.

• Celebrity social media support for the cause.

Traditional media support (please see media ecosystem and campaign calendar below) beginning 8 October 2014 – 12 December 2014:

• 12 radio interviews

• 16 print/press articles

• 29 articles/blogs

• 3 TV interviews

Most importantly, on the 10th of December 2014, Jenna Lowe received the new lungs she had been waiting for. Although the campaign was scheduled to run for the entire fourth quarter of 2014, on the 12th of December 2014 (when South African heard about Jenna’s transplant) the first phase of “Get Me To 21” came to an end.

This campaign was done with zero budget.