National Platelet Donor Recruitment Week Marketing Ideas

1) Contact your local "Subway" or other sandwich shop and see if they would be willing to donate some coupons for free sandwiches during recruitment week. Design a coupon for a free "Hero Sandwich" and give it out to anyone offering to learn more about apheresis that week.

2) Design a special "Hometown Hero" T-shirt to distribute to newly recruited platelet donors during NPDRW. Design a different T-shirt for current apheresis donors, and offer it to those who refer a friend or family member during NPDRW.

3) Plan an event at a community health fair, where folks can come and meet a local “hero”, maybe a decorated fireman or policeman. Hire out or rent a “hero” costume to attract parents of small kids. (i.e. Hercules or Superman). When the parents bring their children over to meet the character, distribute flyers about apheresis or platelet donation.

4) Ask your local newspaper to run an ad profiling a veteran platelet donor from your center. The title of the ad could be “Does this person look like a hero to you?” Include in the body of the ad HOW and WHY this person is a hero, talk about the lives he/she has saved.

5) Is your center familiar with any patients that have needed multiple units of platelets? If possible, ask the patient to become a “Platelet Ambassador”. Obtain the patient’s consent to use their picture in ads if possible. Putting a “face” on the need for platelets is often a more successful strategy than asking people to respond to a general appeal.

SOME ADDITIONAL CRAZY IDEAS

Every year the National Platelet Association tries to see the lighter side of platelet donation and to share this with you and the public. This year, we have some "food for thought" -- literally.

There is what is called the "Pizza Principle". Simply stated, the Pizza Principle asserts that food attracts attention. Free food attracts a lot of attention.

Imagine if you will two standard round doughnuts touching each other to form the number "8". What do you have? a doughn-8.

Crazy Idea #1: Make and deliver several "Doughn-8's" to the local morning news programs -- along with information about apheresis. If your local affiliates (ABC, NBC, and CBS) are anything like our local affiliates, you have two crazy guys giving the weather and traffic and announcing various community events -- and drinking coffee. Give them some "Doughn-8's" with that coffee and you could get a plug for platelets.

Crazy Idea #2: If you are setting-up a recruitment booth or table at a mall or community event, bring along a small doughnut maker and actually make and hand-out "Doughn-8's". With each "Doughn-8" hand out recruitment material.