Media Moguls Wins NHS Organ Donation Campaign, UK

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Article Date: 08 Jan 2010 - 5:00 PDT

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Media Moguls has been appointed by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to raise awareness about organ donation amongst South Asian and Black communities in the UK. Media Moguls is one of the UK's leading ethnic marketing agencies and previously designed and implemented the first ever South Asian Organ Donation campaign in 1998 - 2003 for the Department of Health.

As well as increasing awareness about the lack of donors, the campaign also aims to challenge the misconceptions surrounding it. The campaign will support the decision-making process by providing accurate information and encouraging people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register. 23% of people currently waiting for a kidney transplant are from BME communities. Due to the shortage of compatible donors, South Asian/ Black patients on average have to wait nearly twice as long as a white person for a kidney transplant.

Anjna Raheja, Managing Director of Media Moguls says: "We are delighted to be part of this valuable campaign once again. Organ Donation is a serious issue amongst ethnic minorities. And the fact is that the Asian and Black community are three times more likely to require an organ than the White community. So using our in-depth cultural knowledge and understanding we can raise awareness by bringing the issue to light."

Gavin Evans from NHSBT, Assistant Director: Strategic Marketing adds "We are very pleased to have Media Moguls working on this campaign. During the pitch they demonstrated their deep understanding of the BME communities we are trying to reach and put together an impressive creative strategy."

The new campaign will be launched at the end of January next year. Activity will include outreach involving face to face engagement, celebrity support and partnerships with key ethnic media to support the campaign. The new campaign will complement NHSBT's national 'Prove It' organ donation campaign which started in November 2009.

Notes

- NHSBT is a special health authority of the NHS responsible for optimising the supply of blood, organs, plasma and tissues and raising the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of blood and transplant services.

- More than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant. Of these, over 1,000 - on average 3 a day - die every year before an organ becomes available.

- People from the South Asian/Black community are three times more likely to need a kidney. This is due to increased susceptibility to diabetes and high blood pressure as well as diet and lifestyle factors.

- Kidney transplants have greater chances of success if the donor and recipient are from the same ethnic group.

- Media Moguls is one of seven specialist BME agencies on the COI Cultural Diversity Framework. The agency retained the campaign following a four way pitch with COI

The Agency was established in 1994 and its COI campaign portfolio includes:

- Communities and Local Government - Fire Kills
- Communities and Local Government - Equality & Diversity in the FRS
- Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs - BME Personal Food Imports
- Department of Health - Change4Life
- Home Office - Independent Safeguarding Authority
- Learning Skills Council - Careers Advice Ethnic Advice Lines

Source
NHS Blood and Transplant

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