Blood Donation Hourglass

"You could be saving someone's life this second, and he could be saving yours the next."

This advertisement was done by TBWA Shanghai, China to raise awareness of the urgency of blood donation in China. At the time this ad was run, September 2006, someone in Shanghai needed blood every 90 seconds and there was a severe shortage of people donating. The message of this ad is very powerful, yet easy to interpret. The red sand is representative of blood and the hourglass furthers the metaphor; when one side runs out, the glass will flip and another person will be in need of blood. One day, that person might be you. It appeals to a large target audience and makes an impression on anyone qualified to donate blood. This ad really hit home with me because I am a strong advocate for blood donation. My grandfather had to have a blood transfusion and required 13 pints of blood. It is so important for people to donate while their healthy so that we can help those around us. The intended message is very obvious even without reading any of the text in the lower right corner. This is another great example of how TBWA continues to make influential, creative advertisements all over the world.