Do you have the missing type?
Some messages, visuals and signage across campus may see letters disappearing this week. No, it’s not due to bad maintenance works, poor editing skills or even a petty thief, so don’t call Campus Security just yet.
The creative marketing tactic is part of the week-long “International Missing Type” campaign, which seeks to build public awareness on the importance of blood donation. The campaign will see words on both online and offline platforms dropping the letters “A”, “B” and “O” (signifying the various blood types) from 16 to 21 August in an effort to draw attention to the dire need for more blood donors.
NUS, together with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and Singapore Red Cross, is among the organisations in Singapore participating in the blood drive. Singapore’s blood demand is set to double by 2020 due to a rapidly ageing population and increasing healthcare demands.
The clever campaign was initiated by the National Health Service Blood and Transplant in England last year in response to a long declining trend in the number of new blood donors. Its charm lies in its simplicity and ease for anyone to join in and share the message on their own platforms by removing the respective letters. It eventually garnered the support of more than 1,000 organisations and social media influencers, including Google, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, and encouraged more than 30,000 people to register as new donors.
Building on the highly successful strategy, the “International Missing Type” campaign has since evolved to a coordinated launch this year across 22 countries including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the US.
The University encourages all faculty, staff, students and alumni to get involved and show their support for the “International Missing Type” campaign in their respective web and social media postings. Those who wish to make a gift of blood donation can visit the NUH Blood Donation Centre or the HSA Blood Banks.
Click here to learn more about the campaign.
