Hydration is critical to kidney health. So at the center of a campaign that focuses on kidney tattoo culture, we incorporated a tech component that combined science with the art.

We worked with celebrity tattoo artist Tommy Helm and researchers at Northwestern University to develop wearable tech tattoos that not only looked cool, but also provided real-time information on wearers’ hydration levels. We also introduced smart water bottles that synced to people’s phones with a reminder to hydrate, creating a seamless way for SXSW attendees to avoid dehydration while enjoying all the festival had to offer, spreading the message that taking care of your kidneys doesn’t have to get in the way of having fun.

By collaborating with Northwestern University to introduce new wearable tech to a forward-thinking audience, we further established Heart Your Kidneys as a cool and disruptive way to raise awareness about a not-so-cool disease.

Inspired by the tattoos transplant recipients proudly display, we worked with researchers at the Rogers Lab at Northwestern University to develop a wearable tech tattoo that measures how much sweat and salt you’ve lost, for a complete hydration update. These patches are a first-of-their kind innovation in hydration technology that integrate directly with the skin and serve as a platform to provide an understanding of overall health through sweat measurement.

We partnered with tattoo artist Tommy Helm to design the skin of the tech tattoos, which were handed out to attendees at the #HeartYourKidneys Inkstream SXSW activation.

Our behind-the-scenes look at the Rogers Lab at Northwestern University was watched over 27,000x, making it one of the NKF’s highest performing videos ever, and their highest viewed video during National Kidney Month.

On National Kidney Day, #HeartYourKidneys was the top mention on Thunderclap with a social reach of 900K. The campaign was covered in each of the 50 states, with over 2700 articles and airtime on local and national television channels. Combining traditional, earned, and social media, our total audience reach was estimated at 150 million. Our campaign and Scars & Ink videos received over 270,000+ total views.

Compared to an average month on social media, mentions of NKF quintupled, follower growth doubled, and posts saw a 20% increase in engagement - showing that the campaign hit home with the NKF community and expanded audience reach across platforms so that more people than ever were showing kidney love.