ROCK FM & Donorium: Romania has rocker blood - Communication campaign
The need for a communication campaign for blood donation
Romania ranks last in Europe in the number of blood donors: only 1.7% of Romanians donate blood, almost 10 times less than Danes. The first half of 2019 was marked by an acute shortage of blood: in the first quarter of this year, the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Center — the largest transfusion center in the country — registered 1,100 fewer donors than in the same period of 2018, while the current need for blood remains double.
In this context, ROCK FM — Morning Glory with Răzvan Exarhu — initiated a campaign to encourage people to donate blood constantly and voluntarily, in partnership with the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Center and Donorium, an application that facilitates blood donation.
The idea: the strategy of the communication campaign
We started the campaign from the idea that people donate blood when they are encouraged by an inner resort. In our case, this resort was the music.
The campaign's strategy was based on identifying and maintaining a symbol strong enough to create an experience that truly excites people. Music unites people from all corners of the world, and rockers, in particular, have a special kind of pride, more pronounced than lovers of other musical genres.
Thus, the main idea of the campaign was to stimulate the pride of the rock community in Romania, turning the most popular Romanian songs, which everyone knows and loves, into rock versions. Six well-known rock bands from Romania accepted the challenge of launching, at Morning Glory with Răzvan Exarhu, a rock cover inspired by the most popular Romanian songs, in order to mobilize people — rock listeners or not — to donate blood.
The activities of the communication campaign “Romania has rocker blood”
Launch of the campaign
The launch of the campaign “Romania has rocker blood” was marked by a press conference organized at the Blood Transfusion Center Bucharest.
Involvement of the rock community
On the morning of the conference, in another part of the city, at Baneasa station, dozens of rockers met on motorcycles — another symbol of the rock community — and embarked on a march to the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Center.
Contribution of influencers
We also turned the production of rock covers into mini-concerts, to which influencers and opinion leaders were invited. Dozens of stars joined the campaign, listening to rock covers for the first time. Personalities such as Paula Herlo, Alex Dima, Cosmin Tudoran, Dana Rogoz, Anghel Damian, Marian Râlea, Răzvan and Irina Fodor joined the initiative.
Support of large companies
Leaders and executives from large companies in Romania supported the blood donation campaign, proving that they are #CEOCuSângeDeRocker. Among them: Steven van Groningen — Raiffeisen Bank, Ondřej Šafář — CEZ Romania, Ionuţ Ardeleanu — Auchan Retail Romania, Frank Wagner — Lidl, Cosmin Vladimirescu — Mastercard and Horia Adrian — Holcim Romania. The #CEOCuSangeDeRocker project was amplified through an editorial partnership with BIZ magazine.
The impact of the communication campaign “Romania has rocker blood”
“Romania has rocker blood” was a campaign that managed to turn rock music into a symbol of solidarity, going far beyond the borders of the community that listens to this genre of music. It is the first time that the rock community in Romania has embraced a social cause so broadly, providing a powerful example of involvement through blood donation.
It is also the first time in Romania that so many CEOs, even from competing companies, have acted together — not only supporting the campaign and donating blood, but also sending the message to thousands of employees in their companies.
Prizes won:
- Gold Sabre,
- Best Influencer Marketing Campaign;
- Romanian PR Awards,
- Gold Best Budget -, Creativity +.
Frequently asked questions:
1/ What is the campaign “Romania has Rocker Blood”?
It is a social communication campaign launched by ROCK FM, in partnership with the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Center and the Donorium app and signed by Rogalski Damaschin, aimed at increasing the number of blood donors in Romania through an unconventional association with rock music.
2/ What is the Donorium app and how does it help with blood donation?
Donorium is a mobile application that connects donors with transfusion centers, allowing quick donation scheduling and tracking of personal donation history.
3/ What results did the campaign “Romania has the blood of a rocker” achieve?
In the first week of the campaign, the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Center collected 32% more blood bags, and almost 4,000 Romanians downloaded the Donorium application to become donors.
