Situation:
Generating student donations during summer break poses a challenge in effectively reaching high school demographics and encouraging them to act. Generation Z (as this group is referenced) represents individuals born from 1995-2011, who are primarily characterized by an affinity for technology, philanthropy and FOMO (fear of missing out).
Approach:
The Generation Give campaign was designed to counter this seasonal trend by driving students to donate during the summer months (June-August) when school was not in session.
The campaign was based on two primary objectives: (1) use digital ads and social media exclusively to spread awareness and engage audiences; (2) incorporate a giveaway that incentivizes students to positively share their donation experience and encourage their friends to donate as well.
Research shows that Generation Z is very responsive to messaging that empowers them and makes them feel like they can make a difference. These individuals also have a strong inclination to be part of the movement and are generally described as philanthropic.
We tailored our campaign theme to these traits by creating a call-to-action for students to be a part of the Generation Give movement and make a positive impact through their blood donations. Messaging focused on self-reliance and empowerment, two key traits we knew effectively engaged this audience. We were deliberate in creating visually-based ads that used symbols and icons that also resonate with this audience.
AMG utilized tactics such as :
- Device ID targeting to collect data from, and serve ads to, the target audience (Generation Z/HS students) via mobile apps and web.
- Running a teaser campaign for two (2) weeks before the primary campaign to introduce messaging and start spreading awareness.
- Incentivizing students to donate by offering community service hours, a free t-shirt, and the chance to win a GoPro in exchange for their blood donations.
We targeted 20 high schools selected based on their enrollment, propensity to donate and proximity to STBTC donor rooms for the campaign. Digital ads were served on a total of 1,523 apps. Ads were only served to the device ID’s captured from the select high schools.
Creative included Generation Give t-shirts as a giveaway item for students who donated blood, posters and flyers to inform teachers and organizations of the community service hours that could be earned, so that these groups could help promote to students as well and an exclusive landing page for the Generation Give campaign. The webpage included an infographic on how to participate in the campaign, links to schedule an appointment, donor room locations and a special tag board that shared all social media posts with #GenerationGive.
Results:
A 48% increase in blood donations (1,262) along with an impressive 241% increase in website traffic.
