Showcase of epic blood donation campaign over the past 70 years
‘Are you my type?’ That familiar catchphrase from an advert music in the 1980s reflects the imagination and ingenuity behind the 70-year mission of the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) to encourage people across the city to give blood. BTS Chief Executive and Medical Director Dr Lee Cheuk-kwong looks back on decades of campaigning and explains how his team constantly comes up with new ideas to meet the evolving challenges of blood donation.
Some of the classic 1980s advertisements formed the backbone of encouraging blood donation, including one with the simple yet powerful slogan: ‘We can’t get blood from a stone. Please give us a little of yours.’
The catchy jingle ‘Brother donates blood, sister donates blood’ performed by Frances Yip Lai-yee is ingrained in Hong Kong’s collective memory, while its lyrics ‘Uncle Leung, Uncle Ho, and Uncle Lam all donated blood’ heralded a change in traditional attitudes to embrace the giving of blood in the Chinese community.
Through the years, the strategies to encourage people to give blood have involved a combination of clever, eye-catching marketing and a down-to-earth approach, which Dr Lee describes as pragmatic and business-like. “Like managing a restaurant, we have to attract a variety of different audiences,” he explains. “To appeal to healthy people to take the time to donate blood, it is always important to treat them as customers and give them treats. If we do that well, they will get their friends and relatives to donate too.”
Some of the classic 1980s advertisements formed the backbone of encouraging blood donation, including one with the simple yet powerful slogan: ‘We can’t get blood from a stone. Please give us a little of yours.’
The catchy jingle ‘Brother donates blood, sister donates blood’ performed by Frances Yip Lai-yee is ingrained in Hong Kong’s collective memory, while its lyrics ‘Uncle Leung, Uncle Ho, and Uncle Lam all donated blood’ heralded a change in traditional attitudes to embrace the giving of blood in the Chinese community.
Through the years, the strategies to encourage people to give blood have involved a combination of clever, eye-catching marketing and a down-to-earth approach, which Dr Lee describes as pragmatic and business-like. “Like managing a restaurant, we have to attract a variety of different audiences,” he explains. “To appeal to healthy people to take the time to donate blood, it is always important to treat them as customers and give them treats. If we do that well, they will get their friends and relatives to donate too.”
Governor’s wife was an early influencer
The groundwork for the high-profile approach to blood donation was laid in 1952 when the Hong Kong service was launched and the wife of the Governor became a trailblazer for today’s social media influencers by publicly encouraging people to give blood.
Numerous adverts were placed in newspapers, on TV, and in cinemas – and, as well as tea and soft drinks, donors were even given free cigarettes and beer by the corporate sponsors of the day. “Most blood donors were foreigners and some were even taipans, so they had to be treated like VIPs,” Dr Lee explains.
In the 1970s, the BTS reached out to schools and began encouraging young people to join the Blood Donor Alliance. Dr Lee recalls, “at secondary school, my classmates went to the school's mobile blood donation station, where they were given snacks and drinks, and their feedback was very positive.”
Numerous adverts were placed in newspapers, on TV, and in cinemas – and, as well as tea and soft drinks, donors were even given free cigarettes and beer by the corporate sponsors of the day. “Most blood donors were foreigners and some were even taipans, so they had to be treated like VIPs,” Dr Lee explains.
In the 1970s, the BTS reached out to schools and began encouraging young people to join the Blood Donor Alliance. Dr Lee recalls, “at secondary school, my classmates went to the school's mobile blood donation station, where they were given snacks and drinks, and their feedback was very positive.”
Staff delight in the holiday spirit
Promotions have never lacked in creativity. During Halloween, for instance, BTS team members have dressed in costume and handed out gifts of bloody package as special drinks, and popcorn to add to the seasonal atmosphere.
Nurse Karen Lai, a BTS senior staff member, remembers how popular a blood donation day in Mongkok was at Halloween in 2008. There were double the usual number of the donors that day. “From 10 am to 2 am, the average waiting time for donors was two to three hours, but everyone enjoyed it a lot,” she recalls. On another occasion, she celebrated with donors at the centre on New Year eve. Her colleagues also dressed up as the traditional God of Wealth to greet donors giving blood in Lunar New Year.
Donor campaigns made a huge impression in the past but today, an avalanche of competing online information combined with the epidemic has reduced their impact and could lead to challenges in blood supply in future, Karen believes. “I hope more people will continue to donate blood to maintain a healthy, stable supply of blood in Hong Kong,” she says.
Nurse Karen Lai, a BTS senior staff member, remembers how popular a blood donation day in Mongkok was at Halloween in 2008. There were double the usual number of the donors that day. “From 10 am to 2 am, the average waiting time for donors was two to three hours, but everyone enjoyed it a lot,” she recalls. On another occasion, she celebrated with donors at the centre on New Year eve. Her colleagues also dressed up as the traditional God of Wealth to greet donors giving blood in Lunar New Year.
Donor campaigns made a huge impression in the past but today, an avalanche of competing online information combined with the epidemic has reduced their impact and could lead to challenges in blood supply in future, Karen believes. “I hope more people will continue to donate blood to maintain a healthy, stable supply of blood in Hong Kong,” she says.
Video of ‘Our stories, our fond memories’: BTS