CHICAGO (April 10, 2014) — Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network has been awarded a Silver Telly Award for its “At the Opera” Public Service Announcement. “At the Opera” is part of a multichannel campaign featuring 30- and 60-second TV spots, digital video, and online banner advertising developed by The San Jose Group, an integrated advertising agency based in Chicago.
Aimed at attracting Illinois and northwest Indiana residents to register as organ and tissue donors in order to provide a lifesaving opportunity to the more than 5,000 people waiting for an organ transplant in Illinois, the PSA campaign was a significant contributor to statewide spikes in registration. Since the launch of the “At the Opera” campaign in June 2013, there has been more than a 15% increase in organ registration at the Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles, where the broad majority of residents choose to register. However, the Gift of Hope website also saw a 176% increase in donor registration compared to the same time the year prior.
The campaign centers around Lola, a first-time opera attendee, whose passion for organ donation and saving lives gets the best of her when a character dramatically faints on stage. Caught in the moment, Lola engages the audience by sharing just how easy it is to register as an organ donor using Gift of Hope’s website, encouraging everyone to take action.
“Throughout creative development, several different storylines and ideas were considered. In the end, we felt it was important for us to break out from the standard in the category,” remarked George L. San Jose, President and Chief Creative Officer of The San Jose Group. “Our creative team was thrilled that Gift of Hope chose one of the most unique concepts to take to execution.”
This integrated campaign was developed alongside an outreach strategy designed by SJ Public Relations. An affiliate public relations division of The San Jose Group, SJ Public Relations has already won seven awards for outstanding public relations programs for its Gift of Hope campaigns. To date, The San Jose Group’s PSA campaign has earned three awards.
“For some time we’ve seen a consistent pattern in the approach of these particular organizations. Incorporating humor to spark interest from potential donors has been the key to this campaign’s success,” noted San Jose. “We wanted the PSA to capture a peculiar moment that took the uncomfortable topic of death and placed it into a more lighthearted everyday situation. We’re asking for the viewer to stop, think, and make a choice.”
About Gift of Hope
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is a not-for-profit organization entrusted by the nation’s healthcare system with coordinating organ and tissue donation and providing donor family services and public education in Illinois and northwest Indiana. Since 1987, it has coordinated donations that have saved the lives of more than 20,000 organ transplant recipients and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue recipients. Gift of Hope is also part of Donate Life Illinois, a coalition of agencies responsible for organ, tissue, eye, blood, and marrow donation, as well as donor education and registration, in Illinois. For more information about Gift of Hope and organ and tissue donation, visit GiftofHope.org.
About The San Jose Group
The San Jose Group (SJG) specializes in total market lifestyle and behavioral marketing solutions. The agency leads with business planning and ROI modeling in providing message development, persuasive content, and ideation across digital, social, and advertising channels. SJG along with its Consulting and Public Relations divisions services Fortune 1000 clients and today’s industry leaders. SJG is the founding member of the San Jose Network Ltd., the largest independent advertising agency network reaching the U.S. and Latin America. For more information, visit www.thesanjosegroup.com.