WINNING THE BLOOD BATTLE
In 2022, a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic required creative thinking to restore the crucial volume of blood donations needed for everything from life-saving bone-marrow transplants to traumatic wounds. One vehicle for driving such donations has long been the The Ohio State University’s month-long Blood Battle with sports rival the University of Michigan. Entering 2022, Ohio State had lost badly four years in a row. So, Versiti — the blood supplier to Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center — turned to Werth to develop a more strategic, multifaceted communications initiative.
RESULTS:
Werth’s strategies included participation by local sports celebrities and a new outreach strategy focused on the more than 100,000 people working and studying on campus to make blood donations. These strategies resulted in Ohio State's blood donations totaling 1,630 units, a 50% increase from 2021 and nearly double what was collected in 2020. For the first time since 2017, Ohio State beat its rival in the Blood Battle and was able to celebrate the victory on the field during its home football game against Michigan on November 26.