NHS Blood and Transplant has removed the color red from some of the UK’s most recognizable logos to warn of shortages of certain types of blood needed to treat patients with sickle cell anemia.
The campaign, titled “Emergency LOW-GOS”, has been developed together with Havas London and has been launched to coincide with World Sickle Cell Day. The action has the participation of Marvel, HSBC UK, The IndependentEnglish Heritage and Westfield, which have temporarily given up an essential part of their visual identity to convey the urgency of the situation.
The pieces are being displayed on Ocean Outdoor digital screens in London, Manchester and Birmingham. In them, red disappears from the logos, generating an immediate alteration of images widely recognized by the public. The absence of color works as a visual metaphor for the decline in blood reserves.
The campaign seeks to mobilize especially people with Ro, O negative and B negative blood, types essential for the treatment of sickle cell anemia. NHS Blood and Transplant currently supplies around 3,600 units of Ro blood each month, a figure that is below what is needed to meet hospital demand.
Many people with sickle cell anemia depend on regular transfusions to stay alive. Faced with this need, “Emergency LOW-GOS” uses one of the most protected assets of any company – its logo – as a public alarm signal. “By removing red from something so familiar, the campaign transforms those logos into a forceful warning about the urgency of the situation”said Mark Chambers, Director of Donor Experience at NHS Blood and Transplant.
The idea proposes a simple intervention: show what some brands would look like if they lost what makes them immediately recognizable. This alteration allows us to directly connect the language of the corporate identity with the lack of blood available for patients who need it.
“Emergency LOW-GOS” was originally conceived by Gwenaelle Carré and John McGloin of Havas London for Ocean Outdoor’s Digital Creative Competition. The proposal obtained 75,000 pounds in advertising space, a recognition aimed at promoting ideas capable of taking advantage of the creative possibilities of digital outdoor advertising.
The initiative has evolved from that initial proposal to become a national campaign. Havas London has worked with NHS Blood and Transplant, Ocean Outdoor and participating brands to translate the idea into real media and coincide with World Sickle Cell Day.
