A, B & O can be merely letters, but they can be a matter of life and death, and the world’s top companies are trying to get your attention to this noble cause.
Timely blood donation and matching blood groups can be the difference between life and death during times of medical emergencies and a big cause of distress, and this campaign seeks to evoke the people around the world to acknowledge the issue and do their bit.
NHS Blood and Transplant and London-based PR agency Engine Group have launched the #MissingType campaign, in which the three letters that signify blood types are disappearing from familiar landmarks and brands. The campaign, which kicked off last year in UK last year has now taken off around the world including in the US, Australia, Dublin and Canada.
The idea is simple. NHS is asking brands and individuals to remove the As, Bs and Os from their names to highlight the lack of people signing up to donate blood, and the brands are obliging and how. They have gone as far as actually removing these letters from their physical signage apart from tweaking the logos online.
Something's missing…. #MissingType https://t.co/ryFqkJv72J pic.twitter.com/6zt1QrXFhB
— Give_l__d NHS (@GiveBloodNHS) August 16, 2016
Some of the world’s most iconic brands and their signage are dropping the letters A, B and O as a part of the campaign. Google, Microsoft, Qantas and the “I Love Amsterdam” signs are some of the most prominent participants of the campaign.
もし世の中から「A」「B」「O」が消えてしまったらGoogleロゴはこんな姿に…。献血でA,B,Oを守りましょう。詳細は日本赤十字社のページ https://t.co/N41Qw2FXQj をご覧ください。 #MISSINGTYPE pic.twitter.com/N2cYN6GCpw
— Google Japan (@googlejapan) August 16, 2016
We’re supp_rting #MissingType c_mp_ign. Sh_w y_ur supp_rthttps://t.co/QrvoV4Nb3T pic.twitter.com/KA0FABHaXM
— Microsoft UK (@MicrosoftUK) August 16, 2016
I msterdm! We're missing some crucial letters here….#missingtype pic.twitter.com/WWolpZgCAA
— I amsterdam (@Iamsterdam) August 16, 2016
We’ve dropped the O from Tesco to raise awareness for @GiveBloodNHS. #MissingType. See more https://t.co/qIC5JxJjsahttps://t.co/tHKcIQUfYJ
— Tesco (@Tesco) August 16, 2016
We've lost our A's for #missingtype. Donate and save lives with @redcrossbloodau: https://t.co/wfHl02T7sS pic.twitter.com/jWjENO4zc0
— Qantas (@Qantas) August 15, 2016
Individuals too are stepping in and chipping in.
What a glorious morning to go give some blood @givebloodscot #MissingType pic.twitter.com/zAq3LUaUKT
— Tony Singh (@McTSingh) August 16, 2016
The last time so many individuals and companies got together in a viral campaign to highlight a social cause was the Ice Bucket Challenge to create awareness about the debilitating condition ALS.
Whether the campaign does get people to come forward and donate blood, only time will tell, but it’s heartening to see social media being explored and leveraged for a cause. But if these tweets are to go by, looks like blood is on the streets.
Thumbs up to giving blood at work today #MissingType #Donated pic.twitter.com/3HMSqmmU8r
— Tom Kenward (@TK_Microsoft) August 17, 2016