To mark the launch of the new agency which was formerly known as “More,” Pablo London has created an inspiring national blood donation campaign for Give Blood and the NHSBT that encourages people to register to give blood for their country, which launches throughout England, on the 18th September, 2015. The campaign, which launches throughout England this Friday (September 18) comprises a 30 second TV film, four celebrity online films and an extensive press & poster campaign, and will feature during the biggest sporting event in the UK since the Olympics; the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
As the World Cup unfolds, the rest of the world will witness the dedication of athletes, so committed to their countries they are willing to bleed for them. This in stark contrast to the fact that just 3% of our nation really does bleed for their fellow countrymen by giving blood. So Pablo have decided to leverage this inspiring grit and determination to inspire English people to quite literally bleed for their country and donate blood to the NHSBT.
Pablo London has created an inspiring national blood donation campaign for Give Blood and the NHSBT
The timing of the campaign is far from coincidental, as studies have shown that less people give blood during major sporting events, but Pablo and Give Blood hope to ride a wave of national emotion and give us the opportunity to show the same commitment as rugby heroes (past and present); standing shoulder to shoulder with them to Bleed for England. The idea to use the game in such a way came from a unique insight tool developed by Pablo called the “Sports Panel,” which allows the agency to work closely with athletes, coaches, back room staff and physiologists, in order to develop insights that take people closer to sport.
The “Bleed for England” film, created by Pablo, working closely with award winning production company Squire, dramatizes the importance of giving blood by showing a red rose (a symbol of England), being brought back to life from a dying bloom, dry and shrivelled. We watch it transform to full living beauty, as the blood begins to course through its veins; whilst the thunderous voice of Sir John Hurt informs us that “Less than 3% of people support England in a way that matters.” The online campaign features current England Rugby players: James Haskell, Dan Cole and Tom Croft, who gave up their day to substitute jobs with unsuspecting donors (as Rugby players cannot give blood themselves during the season). Three films will be released in phases throughout September and October 2015.
The timing of the campaign is far from coincidental, as studies have shown that less people give blood to the NHSBT during major sporting events
The press and poster campaign features the blood of English Rugby World cup winners, including Jonny Wilkinson, Martin Johnson, Jason Leonard, Matt Dawson and Pablo’s very own Ben Kay. Demonstrating their commitment to their country once again, a small percentage of their blood (called a run on – usually used for testing) was mixed with ink to create another symbolic English Rose. The rose was created by artist David Bayo using a technique where the rose is painted in water, and a mixture of blood and ink is dropped into the art and spread throughout the image to represent the flow of blood through a patients veins during a blood transfusion.
Pablo London’s founder and managing director Gareth Mercer, said of the campaign, which is the first major piece of work for the newly rechristened agency: “Many people will see the sporting events unfold this autumn but few will have chance to participate. Pablo believes in doing good work for good brands. We set ourselves the challenge of inspiring a nation to care enough about strangers to give their time and their blood to really get behind their country. It was important for us to practice what we preach and the team at Give Blood, Squire, Finish and Engine together with rugger buggers and members of the advertising community collaborated in the most enjoyable way to create a very special result.”
The “Bleed for England” film dramatizes the importance of giving blood by showing a red rose being brought back to life from a dying bloom
Pablo London worked closely with agency partners Squire, Finish, Cord and Simon Derviller photography, whom all donated their time, talent and energy to this project; and were supported by roster agencies ENGINE and 23 Red. Also leading by example were advertising industry representatives including Peter Cowey (Oystercatchers), James Swift (Campaign), Tom Knox (IPA President), Paul Bainfair (IPA Director General) and Tony Spong (AAR) who all donated blood for this donation campaign, together with members of the Pablo management team (Gareth Mercer, Tim Snape, Mark Sng, Peter Moulton, Claire Elworthy), the Give Blood Marketing team and Squire Studios production team (lead by JT).
