Last week when I was walking back from class, I have noticed a Canadian Blood Services truck. What I found interesting was the slogan written on the truck: ‘It’s in you to give.’ For some reason I think that it is just brilliant. I love when something is simple and yet so powerful. I wonder if it sounds just as good in French because when I was trying to translate it to a different language that I speak; I was not able to word it in a way to make it sound so good.
I was curious enough to check the blood donor program of some other countries and found that many of them do not even use any slogan at all. On the other hand many attract people through financial incentives. I checked the Canadian Blood Services website and was surprised to find that they are in fact committed not to pay their donors now nor in the future. Trying to understand how is it possible that Canada can do this differently than many other countries I came up with two possible answers. First, maybe it is just the Canadian culture, or second it is a successful marketing strategy. The obvious strengths of their marketing is making people aware of the positive contribution to the community if they donate; successful positioning through use of slogans; and accessibility of their services such as having a portable clinic.
