The new TV ad for NZ Blood broke last night.

It was a series of 7 adverts shown during the TVNZ news slot, between 6pm and 7pm, 9 August 2020. There are a few things right and wrong with it.

1. Right. Everything is set in real time, and that’s very absorbing. Very smart use of the media and the timing when each advert flies. It must have taken some immense work to get that done.

2. Wrong. It requires viewers to see most, if not all, of the ad string to be fully immersed in the message and the creative process. It’s an issue of attention span, and of all the spans, that is the worst to maintain.

3. Wrong. Expensive AF. Obviously, the media buying agency has a great rapport with TVNZ’s media department, but still, the entire ad set is 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Off the top of my head, I’d estimate the rate card cost of a 30-second ad during prime time news to be approx. $15k. So that’s about 75k for the campaign in one night. Plus, there’d be loading for the exact timing when the ads play.

4. Right. Can you imagine controlling TVNZ’s entire news broadcast around your ad campaign? That’s the power of advertising.

5. Right. There’s the planning of the entire campaign. The logistics are just insane. Before the ads were even filmed, NZ Blood needed to know exactly when TVNZ news would break for a commercial and have agreements in place and whatnot. Whoever was in charge of that deserves a medal of some sort.

6. Right. The production of the commercial is brilliant. It really is. Top-class directing, great cast, and some great acting.

7. Wrong. Expensive AF, part two. I’m not sure where to start estimating the production cost, but it’s going to be high. Could the money for production and media be combined to be used elsewhere for a better cause?

8. Wrong. Will they fly the ad on a regular basis? If so, that’s more media spending. And once you’ve seen the ending, well, that’s the ballgame.

9. Wrong. We’re given the impression that the baby may (most likely) die. The final scene of the mom wailing as her newborn baby is off-screen is heart-wrenching, and we are ambiguous as to its fate. It’s a horrible ending. Resorting to guilt is the least classy way to approach most situations – and the campaign’s payoff line “don’t wait to save a life” has Guilt Trip 101 written all over it. It’s a manipulative tactic and let’s face it, no one wants to be manipulated into doing anything.

10. Right. Brave AF. Who ends a commercial like that? I can imagine a lot of thought went into the ending of the commercial, and there was much debate among the client and agency as to whether there should be a positive or negative ending. In the end, they went with shock value. Does that work here?

Ultimately, the success of this campaign, as with every single piece of advertising, lies in the results. More people donating blood and plasma is the only measurement – the campaign’s ability to change the status quo lies here.