Blood banks suffer their greatest shortages of blood in the months of June and July. For Hemoba to meet the demand of the population, it was necessary to increase the amount by 25% during this period. So, we took off the red of the Vitória’s centenary uniform. Only with the direct participation of the fans, through blood donations, would the color of the jersey go back to normal, stripe by stripe as blood was being donated. The idea quickly became a topic of National interest and resulted in people donating blood.

As we said, we needed to increase donations by at least 25%. The period chosen was the time when the blood banks’ suffer their biggest shortages. This happens because of school vacations (families travel around the country together) and traditional regional festivities. So, we needed to become part of something the whole population pays attention to throughout the year.

An increase in blood donations of 46% (the original goal was 21%). With an investment of US$ 15,000.00, US$ 8,000,000.00 was generated in spontaneous media. Approximately 130 million people were impacted: more than 1 billion page views on the web and there were 935 minutes of TV exposure, including matches, after match shows and articles. There was a huge national and international response. Even the supporters of Bahia, Vitoria’s biggest rival, joined the campaign. Video game players developed the new uniforms for the Pro Evolution Soccer 2012. The jersey became the third official uniform of the club and there was even a pirate version, which could be found at street vendors. The club immortalized the campaign in its memorial and is producing a documentary.

It started with a press conference minutes before the first match of the campaign. Then the team entered the field in shirts without the red stripes. Simultaneously, we delivered a press kit to hundreds of sports journalists and influential fans. Besides the new jerseys, fans at the stadium were targeted in two other ways: they received a flyer and watched an endorsement by actor Wagner Moura, who played “Capitão Nascimento” in the “Elite Squad” films and is a fanatical supporter. Right after the match, we launched a TV spot on local stations, a Facebook page and print ads in local newspapers and magazines. They were aired during the 10 matches of the campaign. Since the first match, we've continually sent promotional kits to TV shows, resulting in extensive coverage. Each match turned the stadium into a live advertisement, spreading the message all over the country during match coverage.

What’s more powerful and engaging in Brazil than football? What has more coverage than football in all media channels? In a country that loves the sport so much, we took advantage of the fame and impact of celebrity players and teams to create a buzz and spread our message.

It’s a fact: people are only motivated to donate blood when someone they like is in need. Thus, we decided to invite people to donate blood to their greatest passion: their football club.