A New Generation Of Blood Donors

Monday, March 1, 2004

New Campaign AimsAt Fostering A New Generation Of Blood Donors (NAPSA)—Eachyear, nearly five million Americans needa lifesaving blood transfusion and 38,000 units of blood are needed daily in this country. Critically low inventories nationwide frequently result in public appeals for donations. About 60 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, but only five percent does. Almost 20 percent of nondonors cite “never thought about it” as the main reason for not giving. Few people realize that blood has a shelf life of only 42 days or that eligible donors are allowed to give blood every two months(or 56 days). As additional donor restrictions are implemented and the population ages, the country could lose more and more willing donors, which could cause an even greater threat to our national blood supply. The Advertising Council is partnering with AABB(formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks), America’s Blood Centers and the American Red Cross to launch the blood banking community’s first national, unbranded public education and awareness campaign. Geared towards young adults, the public service advertising (PSA)initiative is designed to raise awareness about the importance of and need for blood donation in order to foster a new generation of lifelong donors. This thought-provoking new initiative was developed to catch the attention of young adults, especially 17-24-year-olds, to increase awareness of the need for regular blood donation and to set the foundation for lifelong donor behavior. Created pro bono by ad agency Euro RSCG World- GIVEBLOOD @ bloodsaves.com wide New York, the campaign ineludes television, radio, outdoor and Internet advertising and directs young adults to visit a new, comprehensive Website, www.bloodsaves.com, where they can learn more about the need for a robust blood supply and obtain information and resources to help them donate blood in their community. Titled “Save the World,” the new campaign features young adults discussing the extreme lengths they have gone to try to make a difference in the world in an effort to show how donating blood is an easy way to positively and significantly make an impact. Each PSA concludes with the tag line, “Saving the world isn’t easy. Saving a life is. And just one pint of blood can save up to three lives.” The PSAsare being distributed to more than 20,000 media outlets nationwide and will air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media. To donate blood, one must be healthy, at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds or more and meet other donor requirements. Those interested in donating blood are urged to visit www. bloodsaves.com to find a local blood collection site and to schedule an appointment.

--- PHOTOS ---

File: 20190816-180006-20190816-180005-63084.pdf.jpg

--- FILES ---

File: 20190816-180005-63084.pdf