Report: ‘MY FRIEND PINTO’ STARS EXTEND THEIR SUPPORT FOR VOLUNTARY BLOOD DONATION

Poster for RRC - placed at colleges

This report is regarding the tie up that MDACS had with the Stars of My Friend Pinto.

On the occasion of the International Youth Day, MDACS decided to tie up with Prateik and Kalki Koechlin, the actors starring in My Friend Pinto, to promote Voluntary Blood Donation. This strategy was used mainly because our target audience was the youth who could so relate to these young stars.

About Voluntary Blood Donation:

Voluntary blood donors are the cornerstone of a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood products. The safest blood donors are voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors from low-risk populations.

For a safe blood service in our country, where comprehensive laboratory tests are neither possible nor pragmatic, it is best to switch over to 100% voluntary donations, as it is now established that only voluntary non-remunerated regular donation is the safest. Thus, one of our key strategies to enhance blood safety is to focus on motivating non-remunerated blood donors and phasing out even replacement donors.

Who is a Voluntary non-remunerated Blood Donor?

Print Ad

1. A person who gives blood, plasma or other blood components of his/her own free will and receives no payment for it, either in the form of cash or in kind which could be considered a substitute for money.
2. "Voluntary" blood donation refers to "unpaid, non-remunerated" blood donation.
3. An altruistic donor who gives blood freely and willingly without receiving money or any other form of payment.

Target Audience: YOUTH

Objective:

• Reach out to the Youth
• Remove shyness and hesitation surrounding condoms
• Raise awareness about HIV
• To reach the maximum number of people possible
• The tie-up was initiated in those areas where our target audience have maximum exposure resulting in more number of people getting the message

What we did:

• We went into a partnership with the film makers of the movie MY FRIEND PINTO.
• We shared all possible communication platforms with them. While they promoted the film amongst the youth, the stars Prateik and Kalki carried the message of Blood Donation to the youth.
• Known faces like the stars of the film go a long way in spreading the message and also help retain it among the youngsters of today.

Media used for promoting this event:

1. Posters for RRC


These were put up at colleges that were tied up with the Red Ribbon Clubs (RRCs) to promote voluntary blood donation. More than 100 colleges participated in this event.

2. Print Ads

These were given in the following newspapers that have a large readership.

               a. Bombay Times
               b. DNA
               c. HT

3. Hoardings

Eight hoardings both in English and Hindi were placed at strategic points to catch the attention of the public. These had the pictures of the movie stars – Kalki & Prateik – promoting Voluntary Blood Donation.

Here are the pictures of some of the hoardings placed in strategic positions around Mumbai:

1. Kurla West: Outside Railway Station; 2. Dadar West: Outside Railway Station near Platform 1;
3. Mumbai Central near Maratha Mandir Theatre; 4. Bandra West: Outside Railway Station;
5. Andheri West Railway Station: Track-facing; 6. Malad West Railway Station: Track-facing

IMPACT:

• Was able to reach a wider audience with a limited budget
• Was able to leverage the alliance by implementing an effective and Cost Efficient campaign
• Higher visibility due to association with known stars