Gong Xi Kongsi Blood Donation Drive
5. Design Kancils [5.11 Best use of Cultural Insights in Design]
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Links:
Product/Service:
Sheng Tai International Sdn Bhd
Client:
Sheng Tai International Sdn Bhd
Brief:
The irony here is simple; the need for blood always reaches its peak during festive seasons (more travellers=more accidents), yet blood banks have the lowest collection rates during festive seasons. And the reasons for this can be as inane as not wanting to break certain taboos during Chinese New Year. For example, one should avoid the use of any items that may draw blood, as it is considered unlucky. Furthermore, red packets of 'œluck' are given out during Chinese New Year, to wish blessings and wealth upon others. So this year, Sheng Tai International decided that if anyone was giving out red packets, they should be red packets that ACTUALLY matter. And they would be red packets filled with wealth AND health. So, the Gong Xi Kongsi Blood Donation Drive was born. A play of words (Gong Xi meaning well wishes and Kongsi being a Malaysian word for share) the event saw people break tradition in the hopes of making a real difference.
Solution:
We began by spreading the word of Gong Xi Kongsi by producing targeted radio spots hijacking a popular relationship advice show as well as creating multimedia postcards that could be fitted to any space to become ambient posters. The postcards, available in Chinese and English, shared unique facts about blood and encouraged people to donate red packets that actually matter instead of just the normal 'ang-pows'. Featuring unique designs of different hands joined in the traditional Chinese New Year greeting pose, they quickly became collector's items and were placed along Jonker Street in Melaka, where the blood drive was held. Sandwich-board teams engaged the public, handing out postcards (now doubling as flyers) and answering questions. The campaign successfully broke taboos, attracting both regular and first-time donors. The campaign became an overall success with the Sheng Tai International looking to begin making it an annual event as part of their CSR programme.
