Stockholm, SE– Falling blood donations across the globe are forcing companies to reconsider their approach to getting people to donate blood. In Britain, there are 40% fewer donors today than there were ten years ago. So how do we inspire people to continue to donate blood, and give life, when saying please is not enough?
When we do finally take the time out of our day (or get over our fear of needles) to donate, it’s often an forgettable experience that ends with a “I Donated Blood Today” sticker and maybe a cookie if you’re lucky. But that’s where the story ends.
What if we were able to see the face of someone whose life we helped save? Or even simply know that our donation was actually pulled off of some shelf in a large blood storage facility? Well, in Sweden, blood donors now get a text message notification when a patient receives their blood.
Simple, yet brilliant.
According to Karolina Blom Wilberg, communications manager at the Stockholm blood service:
“We get a lot of visiblity in social media and traditional media thanks to the SMS. But above all we believe it makes our donors come back to us, and donate again.”
While they are still waiting to hear back the hard numbers on this program, the program provides a simple way to incentivize donors, create long-lasting donor loyalty, and tell the story beyond the bag.
Beyond simple text message programs that have been rolled out over the last 3 years, other parts of Europe have been looking towards options that have no tech play at all. During National Blood Donation Week signs all around Britain are having the letters ‘O’ and ‘A’ removed, in an effort to emphasize missing blood types and raise awareness for the lack of blood donations.
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
