The missing letters: SANBS wants your As, Bs and Os
Attention, all South African brands: the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) wants to (temporarily) “steal” a few letters from your name.
But it’s for an excellent cause!
In an innovative bid to attract new, young blood donors, the blood service will again take part in the international #MissingType campaign, from June 11 to 18.
This coincides with World Blood Donor Day on June 14.
Also read: SANBS Journey of Blood
The campaign asks organisations to remove the letters A, B and O (symbolising the “missing” blood types with the same letters) from their logos or names for a week. Since launching globally a few years ago, the initiative has notched up phenomenal success, spurring thousands of new blood donors to sign up worldwide.
The SANBS hopes this irreverent “disappearing act” will similarly weave a special kind of magic here, where only one per cent of South Africans give blood regularly.
Also read: SANBS faces drought of its own: a lack of blood
“Imagine life without the letters A, B and O … let alone Scrabble!” says Silungile Mlambo, the SANBS’s chief marketing officer.
“South African big business has the power to change the fact that our country faces constant blood shortages – and save lives at the same time.
“We’re asking local brands, sports teams, corporates and landmarks to tweak their logos and ‘donate’ their As, Bs and Os for just a week.
“Deleting the letters of the main blood groups from your company’s name in your adverts, email signatures and other marketing material is a fun and interactive way to raise awareness of South Africa’s urgent need for new blood donors,” she says.
“It really is critical for the SANBS to replenish blood stocks at this time of year, with the school holidays just around the corner.
“This will inevitably cause a spike in the demand for blood transfusions,” says Mlambo.
“We are confident that our #MissingType campaign will help boost supply by capturing the imagination of South African businesses and their employees.
“So come on, CEOs, shed your As, Bs and Os – patients need them more than you do!”
Mlambo says sports teams will also be asked to throw their support behind the campaign, while the public can get involved by deleting the “blood types” from their names on social media for the week of June 11 to 18.
“Because if you think about it, a South Africa without A, B and O would just be S_uth _fric_ …”
“It just wouldn’t be the same. However, with the help of the private sector and the public, we can fill in the blanks in our blood supply and keep stocks at healthy levels,” says Mlambo.
Visit www.sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31 for more information or to find out where to volunteer as a blood donor.
Join the #MissingType conversation on Twitter @theSANBS, Facebook @SANBS and Instagram @thesanbs.
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