There are 8,000 blood transfusions in the UK every day. Meeting this demand requires more blood than you would think. But because blood doesn’t last long in storage, new donations are always needed. This urgent need is married with the shocking fact only 3% of us are registered donors.
By the autumn of 2015, NHSBT needed 100,000 new registrations to maintain secure levels. However, at this time, The Rugby World Cup gripped Britain and NHSBT were acutely aware that the distraction of major national and sporting events historically sees registrations drop by up to 25%.
The plan
Their strategy was inspired by this contrast between the commitment and patriotism of the rugby players during the tournament and the admiration, but inertia, of the fans. NHSBT decided to encourage ordinary people to show the same strength of character as the players they admire and ‘Bleed for England’.
The success of their strategy relied heavily on the power of the content - featuring well-known Rugby World Cup winners and current England players - to engage fans; as well as on the ubiquity of social media during RWC 2015.
The results
Bleed for England is the most effective donor registration campaign ever run by NHSBT. Over the course of just 10 weeks - and during the distractions of a UK hosted global sporting event - they delivered 101,295 new registrations, a recruitment rate of 1,315 per day.
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