Sydney Swans and Lifeblood deploy blood donation campaign
In an effort to raise awareness of blood donation for Lifeblood, the Sydney Swans wore “an all-white playing kit during their Gather Round appearance against Collingwood in Adelaide earlier this month”.
The announcement:
The Sydney Swans have joined Australian Red Cross Lifeblood in asking footy fans to ‘bring back the red’ after the Sydney Swans recently donated the red from their playing guernsey to highlight the importance of blood donation.
Building on a three-year partnership between Lifeblood and the Sydney Swans, the Bloods, as they are also known, sported an all-white playing kit during their Gather Round appearance against Collingwood in Adelaide earlier this month to raise awareness of the need for blood donations.
With more than 47,000 spectators watching the game at Adelaide Oval and a broadcast audience of more than 2 million viewers, the white guernsey moment captured the attention of footy fans across the nation, encouraging them to find out more about the meaning behind it and the partnership with Lifeblood.
The following week the Sydney Swans CEO Tom Harley, head coach Dean Cox and former head coach John Longmire lead the way in bringing back the red by rolling up their sleeves and donating blood at the Moore Park Donor Centre at the Club’s Headquarters.
Demand for blood in Australia is currently at a 12-year-high, while demand for plasma is at a record high. With increased cancellations during the winter months that can impact blood supply, the campaign also asks footy fans to make footy season blood donation season.
“The white guernsey moment at Gather Round and the Bring Back the Red campaign in partnership with the Sydney Swans has played a vital role in generating greater awareness, by creating a highly visible and talkable moment and to help Lifeblood reach new communities,” says Jeremy Weiss, chief marketing officer, Lifeblood.
“This is a great example of how Lifeblood is creating culture by tapping into consumer passion points in a deeply authentic way to continue building a movement of blood and plasma donors,” he said.
The campaign sparked conversations throughout Channel 7’s AFL coverage of the game, across commercial sports radio networks and social media, with the Sydney Swans player Isaac Heeney, Lifeblood’s ambassador Michael Klim, Kylie Gillies and even the Governor-General Sam Mostyn joining the call for footy fans to ‘bring back the red.’
The campaign was further supported by the presence of an eye-catching Lifeblood mobile donor centre at Adelaide Oval during Gather Round, creating an unmissable brand presence and an opportunity to recruit new donors.
“The Sydney Swans were incredibly proud to partner with Lifeblood on the Gather Round Bring Back the Red campaign. Through this campaign, the Sydney Swans and Lifeblood have inspired a powerful movement—uniting fans in the community to give blood, give life, and bring the red back in more ways than one,” says Nicola Wilson, head of commercial partnerships at the Sydney Swans.
To book your donation at Sydney Swans HQ or any Lifeblood donor centre around Australia, call 13 14 95, or book online at lifeblood.com.au or on the DonateBlood app.
Source: Lifeblood
Keep up to date with the latest in media and marketing
