Using social media to save lives

Ottawa- June 13, 2008 - Blood recipients now have an opportunity to thank donors who may have improved or even saved their lives thanks to a new social media site being launched by Canadian Blood Services. Thankyourdonor.ca is a place where recipients can share their stories, photographs and videos about how receiving blood or blood products made a difference in their life. It is being launched as part of National Blood Donor Week, June 9th to 14th, to pay tribute to volunteer blood donors in Canada and inspire others to join them in saving lives.

Angela Christopher from Ottawa is one of those recipients. She received blood and platelets in her fight against Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), a rare form of blood cancer. She is now in remission, but may need a stem cell transplant in the future if her cancer returns. An excerpt from her submission to thankyourdonor.ca reads:

"My prayer of thanks to the donors turned into a mind-blowing epiphany of how truly interconnected we really are as members of the human race and living beings on this earth. Imagine: your blood and platelets are, in part, why I am here today."

Since blood donation is an anonymous gift, recipients normally have little opportunity to thank the people who may have saved their lives. "It is such a moving experience when recipients visit blood donor clinics to share their stories and thank donors for their generosity," says Steve Harding, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at Canadian Blood Services. "With this social media initiative, we are trying replicate that experience on a wider scale so that more donors can witness first-hand the power of their donation."

Tribal DDB Canada and Radar DDB in Vancouver worked together to develop the social media program for Canadian Blood Services. Tribal DDB created the www.thankyourdonor.ca microsite, while Radar DDB developed the program and created a communications strategy to champion the site online, build awareness and generate participation in the program. Radar DDB will direct blood recipients to the site to share their experiences, and invite donors to witness the difference they've made through existing groups on Facebook and MySpace.

"Instead of focusing on the cause, the new site focuses on the effect of the donation and demonstrates through powerful personal stories, photos and videos, the positive outcome the gift of blood can make. The dialog the site creates will be very meaningful and relevant to both recipients and donors," says Yvonne van Dinther, managing director, Radar DDB.

On www.thankyourdonor.ca, a new red blood cell appears each time a recipient creates a profile. Under their profile, recipients can express their gratitude and post photos and videos of things they are thankful for. Video content can be uploaded through a You Tube Channel Group: www.youtube.com/thankyourdonor and will be merged with the recipient profiles. The You Tube Channel Group also allows users to comment, and rate the content.

This is the first social media thank your blood donor site in North America, according to Canadian Blood Services. "Social media is much more than just a channel to reach youth. It's all about community," says Harding. "It is a perfect fit for a cause like ours that is so community-centric, allowing people whose lives have been touched by giving or receiving blood the chance to share, converse and interact."

About Canadian Blood Services

Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec and oversees the country's OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. 4,800 staff and 17,000 volunteers enable us to operate 41 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. Canadian Blood Services is a non-governmental organization, however the Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health provide operational funding, and the federal government, through Health Canada, is responsible for regulating the blood system. To book an appointment call 1 888 2 DONATE (236-6283) or visit www.blood.ca.

About DDB Canada

DDB Canada (www.ddbcanada.com) is the most creatively acclaimed, internationally recognized marketing communications agency in Canada. Known for advertising that generates significant results for clients, DDB Canada is Strategy magazine's 2007 Agency of the Year, and was named one of the "Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada" in 2007 by the Queen's University School of Business. A "total communications company," DDB believes creativity is the strongest business tool. DDB Canada has offices in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. The agency's integrated divisions include: DDB Kid Think (youth marketing), DDB Public Relations, Tribal DDB (online and interactive), Karacters Design Group, Rapp Collins (direct), DDB Echology (corporate social responsibility) and Radar DDB (social media marketing).

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For further information, or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Anne Trueman
Canadian Blood Services
Direct: 613-739-2538
anne.trueman@blood.ca

Paige Calvert
DDB Canadá
Direct: 604-608-4421
paige.calvert@ddbcanada.com