Second Chance Champions is a national campaign that launched with a world-first activation, backed by OOH, social and PR and exists as a feature length documentary on Australian streaming platforms.

Given the category’s typically sombre nature, we needed to lean on multiple media platforms to help spark a national conversation about a subject very few people want to talk about.

The bespoke Split Medal design (used for our newsworthy activation), feature length film, posters and social content, and PR all helped to strategically promote our client’s mission and captivate a broad audience.

A single organ donation can save up to 10 lives and transform many more. However, there are currently 1,800 people on the Australian transplant waitlist, and 13,000 more on dialysis. This is due to low registration numbers and next of kin, who in 54% of cases, overturn the decision of their loved ones. All because they never discussed their wishes. This was preventing thousands from receiving a lifesaving transplant. Our task was therefore two-fold: (1) Increase the number of registered donors; and (2) Trigger a difficult, but much-needed conversation between family members about their donation decisions.

Unlike other nations, Australia has an opt-in consent system when it comes to end-of-life law regarding organ donation. But anyone over the age of 16 can register, including those who think they’re not healthy enough. And given less than 1% of us die in a way that makes it possible for them to donate their organs, every potential donor is precious.

The category that Second Chance Champions sits within is mired by its subject matter. Few Australians want to think about their death, and fewer still want to have this conversation with their loved ones. But while the topic of death isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, especially amongst our First Nations community – who are underrepresented on the donor registration list, this conversation becomes critical when we look at the family consent rate (54%).

To spark these conversations, we created a more motivating story around organ donation and situated the topic within a perennial national talking point: Sport.

Crucially, the film launched at a time that made it topical – airing on DonateLife Thank You Day, which is a national day to reflect and say thanks to the donors and donor families who had given others a second chance at life. Furthermore, we ensured conversations around the campaign stretched into the holiday period – where the topic of gifting and generosity felt incredibly relevant.

By emphasising gains over losses through the theme of sport and mateship, we successfully shifted public perceptions around a critical issue within Australia.

We launched a documentary film with Transplant Australia about an inspiring yet little-known event called the World Transplant Games. This made for compelling content, but to make it equally newsworthy, we created a first in sporting history by giving athletes the opportunity to split their winning medals with the donors and donor families who made their success possible.

The campaign leveraged our key insight to spark a national conversation around the desperate need for more donor registrations and family consent.

Furthermore, by spotlighting stories of triumph, generosity and gratitude, we showed a very different side to the organ donation process - one framed by what is gained, rather than what is lost.

Sadly, very few people who die each year are eligible for organ donation, and the Australian family consent rate sits at just 54% – simply due to a lack of conversation between potential donors and their next-of-kin.

With ⅓ of our adult population opted in, we needed to encourage the remaining ⅔ to become registered donors, including those believed to be not “healthy enough”.

Together with Transplant Australia, we launched a national campaign and feature length documentary about the Perth World Transplant Games. This made for compelling content, but to make it equally newsworthy, we created a world-first, made-for-media moment by giving athletes the opportunity to split their winning medals with the donors and donor families who made their success possible.

This showed a very different side to the organ donation process and drove mass awareness, which triggered much-needed family conversations.

Launching across multiple streaming platforms, Second Chance Champions is a national campaign and feature length documentary backed by PR that tells the remarkable story of those competing at the Perth World Transplants Games in April, 2023.

The talent featured reflects a wide variety of people, and in doing so reminds viewers that no one is immune from adversity. And to underscore this, we created a bespoke Split Medal – designed to be shared between donor or donor family and transplant recipient during the Games. This created a world-first, made-for-media moment that generated mass awareness and important, life-saving conversations.

The campaign deliberately eschews the sombre tone of the category, and instead opts for something more aspirational and joyous, while spotlighting the incredible feats of human ability. Ultimately, it reveals a bigger, more motivating story around donations - that sometimes, triumph can follow from tragedy.

Launching on Ten, Ten Play, Apple TV and Paramount Plus, Second Chance Champions not only got prime-time national news coverage and widespread online coverage, it unlocked an audience of 12 million Australians. Or, put differently, 50% of the adult population. That figure increased by 4 million through PR across TV, Online, Radio & Print.

The campaign’s reach generated $14 million in earned media and, more importantly, triggered lifesaving conversations between family members across the country.

As for our transplant athletes, the bespoke Split Medal offered them the chance to take part in a global first in sporting history.

On a behavioural level, Second Chance Champions also debunked dangerous myths about organ donation – helping shift personal perceptions and convert hesitant participants into could-be lifesavers. During the campaign period, organ donorship increased by a remarkable 60% (versus the prior period) – ensuring a critical reduction in Australia’s organ transplant waitlist.