• by Les Luchter , March 22, 2024

In a joint campaign with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, pastry chef Dominique Ansel, who sparked the Cronut sensation 11 years ago, has come up with the ”3 Lives Bar” to reward people making donations at New York Blood Center locations. The giveaways will take place for a week starting March 23.

The 1,750 bars produced for the campaign consist of Varlhona 62% dark chocolate, a dark chocolate ganache, and a heart-shaped strawberry ganache center.

The “3 Lives” in the chocolate bar’s title evoke “how one donation can save up to three lives,” Devika Mathrani, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at NewYork-Presbyterian, tells Marketing Daily.

The theme is also being addressed in “Blood Bags,” a larger, more emotional campaign thatbegan recently, and includes both outdoor and print. The ads show blood bags inscribed with such handwritten lines as “walked my daughter down the aisle” and “I made the soccer team” atop a printed message, “1 donation can save three lives. Every life is another story.”

NewYork-Presbyterian created the candy bar campaign in partnership with both its creative agency Havas New York and with the chef, who runs Dominique Ansel Bakery locations in Manhattan and Las Vegas.

The partners, Mathrani says, also worked with a nutritionist to make sure the 3 Lives Bar fulfills the recommendation for blood donors to follow up their giving by eating a snack and rehydrating to assist in restoring their blood volume.

Mathrani says NewYork-Presbyterian is promoting the blood drive campaign through earned media, organic social media, paid social media, out-of-home ads, and lifestyle and food influencers. There’s also a dedicated landing page.

“Blood donations are a lifeline for fellow New Yorkers in need,” Mathrani says, “so as a major healthcare institution in New York we feel it is our duty to help raise awareness about the need for blood donations.”

According to New York Blood Center, low donor turnout at the start of the year had led to a 25% drop in donations.