#OPTINK addresses a nationwide health problem (Germany having one of the lowest organ donation rates in Europe) through a culturally relevant trend (25% of the population is tattooed), which ended up giving massive results both in terms of coverage and in terms of organ donor recruitment.

By creating a free tattoo that makes you opt-in to organ donation and leveraging that on social media with a €0 budget, we attracted the country’s attention to an otherwise forgotten topic. Celebrities, tattoo studios and the medical world joined the cause, generating primetime exposure on top TVs and +1billion free impressions overall.

84% of Germans are in favor of organ donation, but only 0.001% effectively donate – one of the lowest rates in Europe.

This leads to 10,000 people on organ transplant lists, with 1000 dying every year (+3 per day).

Still, the government maintains an ‘opt-in’ system which requires explicit proof of consent (whatever its form) to become a donor. Regardless, the final say is given to families.

But with no national registry to record willing donors, people’s wishes easily become unknown.

Consequently, over 40% of families reject organ donations due to unawareness.

In 2020, a healthcare reform bill to change to an opt-out system failed.

In 2023, donor numbers reached a decade low.

For their 20th anniversary, Junge Helden – Germany's leading organ donation awareness association – asked for a nationwide campaign that sparked conversations about the topic and its obstacles (opt-in barrier, lack

Only 0,001% of Germans donate their organs.

But 1 in 4 Germans are inked.

Enter #OPTINK: a free tattoo that allows people to ‘opt-in’ for organ donation and spark conversations with final decision-makers, families.

An innovative solution to express consent by documenting it on your skin, becoming indisputable proof of will. On a technical level, we also converted the standard tattoo consent form into an organ donation one.

Teaming up with acclaimed tattoo artist Gara, #OPTINK taps into two key decision-making factors for ink-enthusiasts: design and meaning.

Launched at tattoo conventions and events, featuring zero-budget partnerships with celebrities, doctors and especially tattoo studios, #OPTINK took over social media and opened the discussion about a neglected topic.

By leveraging the power of communities, #OPTINK turned ink-lovers and tattoo artists into advocates for our cause and tattoo studios into organ donor recruitment centers.

1 #OPTINK = 7 lives saved.

Organ donation is a neglected topic in Germany.

To normalize it, our strategy was hijacking a nationwide trendy conversation: tattoos.

The love for tattoos reached a stage where 1 in 4 Germans are inked – among 20–29-year-olds, Junge Helden’s (Young Heroes, in English) primary target, the number rises to 47%.

#OPTINK is at the same time recognizable and desirable, with a highly shareable potential for containing the two most important aspects for ink lovers: design and meaning.

A campaign with the CTA "Get inked. Give life." grabbed the attention of tattoo artists, A-List celebrities, and the medical world, managing to enter ink lovers’ feeds.

Through social media assets, a dedicated website and a campaign that turned the ink community into our main advocates, we were noticed by both local and national media and managed to become a catalyst for the normalization of organ donation as an everyday life topic.

The #OPTINK campaign's PR execution began with a successful launch at one of Germany’s top tattoo events in Braunschweig, in January 2023, and continued with a nationwide rollout during Junge Helden's 20th-anniversary celebration in March.

This led to collaborations with hundreds of tattoo studios across Germany, transforming them into organ donation recruitment centers. The campaign leveraged Junge Helden's social media channels and earned media to effectively target the desired audience, generating extensive coverage and stimulating conversations surrounding organ donation, all achieved on a zero-budget basis.

In addition, we developed medical tutorials to inform healthcare workers about the tattoo's meaning, its placement, and the appropriate way to convey its importance to families.

This comprehensive PR strategy managed to engage the medical community, celebrities, and esteemed tattoo artists, expanding the scale of the campaign and ensuring its maximum impact and reach.

The campaign is an on-going effort for the future of Germany’s organ donation system, but #OPTINK has already gathered nationwide results:

+250 tattoo studios converted into organ donor recruitment centers

+2500 tattoos so far, on average +70 a day.

+17500 potential lives saved (1 donor = +7 organs = +7 lives saved)

Time spent with brand: Forever.

Endorsed by A-List German celebrities such as Wilson Gonzalez Ochsenknecht, Roman Knizka, Leslie Clio, Jan Köppen and Jochen Schropp.

+1.2 Billion free impressions, with primetime coverage on TV and major press nationwide

Shared by top-tier medical entities, e.g., German Federal Centre for Health Education, National Organ Donor Day, Charité Hospital Heart Center, West German Center for Organ Transplantation, and the Official federal portal for German pharmacists...

From a 15% loss in social media followers prior to the campaign, to a 100% growth in 8 weeks following #Optink.

Germany has a key factor that makes organ donation harder to be documented: a general concern over data and privacy.

This can be seen in the fact that there is no national registry or any effective way of recording or tracking potential donors and their decision.

In other words, before #OPTINK, only the people that expressed their consent (via a card or a form) knew of their decision, unless they had informed someone.