“Hemoji” appropriates a very popular social behavior: the use of emojis on social platforms.

The Emoji alphabet has four images that represent blood types: AB, A, B, and O.

We invited people to add one of these emojis, along with the plus or minus character, to their screen names on Twitter and Instagram. Therefore, they can share their blood type and identify themselves as blood donors.

By searching for an emoji and users’ region on the platforms, Santa Casa can find the right number of right donors every time a specific blood type is needed. Then, we can send these users direct messages asking for donations.

People use “Hemoji” and see users they follow using as well. By being every day on everybody’s feed, the cause has also gotten a lot of visibility, turning “Hemoji” into a symbol for blood donation.

After aligning with Twitter and Instagram offices, we kicked off the campaign by dressing Santa Casa’s profile pages and by posting on these platforms and on Facebook as well.

At the same time, major celebrities started to use the emojis, posting videos and messages about the idea.

Posters and flyers were handed out at the hospital.

We trained Santa Casa’s staff in how to search for and contact users properly.

Searches are being run through a third party tool linked to Twitter and Instagram APIs. According to Twitter, in the next months – as more people with the emoji will be indexed by their system – we will be able to use the platform’s native search engine. Then, the audience itself will also be able to find blood donors, whenever their relatives or friends need donations.

“Hemoji” had a strong, fast-growing impact on the targeted audience.

In the first week:

Around 40 nationwide celebrities joined the campaign voluntarily.

Considering only Santa Casa’s and the celebrities’ followers, we had over 113 million impacts on Twitter and Instagram.

We reached nearly 30,000 potential new voluntary blood donors.

That’s 10 times Santa Casa’s monthly demand for donors.

Santa Casa’s direct contacts were more appealing emotionally and motivated potential donors that, in ordinary digital campaigns, would have “liked” or “shared” messages, but wouldn’t have actually donated blood.

The cause became a daily discussion topic on people’s feeds.

The campaign got earned-media coverage.

Other blood banks around Brazil have showed interest in using the same system.