WINNING CAMPAIGN HAS A WORTHY CAUSE: TO INSPIRE MORE BUSINESS BLOOD DRIVES
FM’s Creative Challenge is an annual competition that invites ad agencies to create an impactful, full-page tactical print ad for a client based on an article from the fastpaced news cycle.
This year’s winner is Demographica, for a series of three print ads created for blood services organisation SANBS.
The agency’s relationship with the nonprofit organisation began in 2020 during the Covid pandemic and resulted in “the good hood” project, and they’ve enjoyed a good relationship since then.
“SANBS really does have a huge calling: to save lives,” says Gareth Lessing, executive creative director at Demographica. “Let’s be honest, the simple sight of a needle gets most of us running for the hills. Giving blood takes it to the next level. So yes, SANBS is always watching the blood stock levels.
“The challenge, however, is that less than 1% of South Africans are active blood donors. A five-day supply is stable. Their stocks are frequently below that, so pleading for blood donations is a never-ending campaign. As a nonprofit organisation, it doesn’t have the luxury of campaign bursts. So, the FM Creative Challenge brief was an excellent opportunity for them.”
It wasn’t just one article that inspired this campaign, says Lessing. “The FM as a whole focuses on or touches on challenges facing our country and businesses. The ‘being in the red’ ad was inspired by the fact that many businesses and even our country
are facing financial challenges. “The second ad, ‘Inflation’, is also focused on something that is frequently discussed and included in many headlines, while the term ‘interest rates’ tends to make everyone shake in their boots right now given the frequent increases. In our opinion, there is huge interest in these topics, and they are frequently included in headlines and articles.”
Let’s be honest, the simple sight of a needle gets most of us running for the hills. Giving blood takes it to the next level
Lessing says the Demographic team woke up late to the FM Creative Challenge. “We love an opportunity to think proactively for our clients, and we had a number of ideas. The biggest challenge is getting the idea made over and above our day jobs.
“We shared some ideas with the client, who liked them and gave them the green light. Fortunately they were not complicated to execute. That’s why print is still a fantastic medium for communication. I like to call it ‘still pictures’. The challenge of grabbing
attention with a simple yet convincing idea is one of the reasons we love this thing called advertising we do every day — and twice on Sundays. So keep the briefs coming, FM!”
Adding that the agency’s creative team hit the jackpot when it came to this particular brief, successfully marrying SANBS insights and financial terms that frequently make it into the FM’s articles, Lessing says he hopes that the campaign encourages more businesses to host blood drives to help SANBS save more lives.
Grabbing attention with a simple yet convincing idea is one of the reasons we love this thing called advertising we do every day and twice on Sundays
The team responsible for this campaign included Marloe Wise, head of commercial growth, Gareth Lessing, art director and executive creative director, and Dhasagan Pillay, creative director from the Demographica team, and Rethabile Melato, Thandi Mosupye and Simphiwe Cele from SANBS.
The other two finalists this year were Dentsu Creative with a print ad created for People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa), and CBR Marketing with an ad for breast cancer awareness on behalf of Bidvest McCarthy.