LIFE LENDERSLIFE LENDERSLend a pint, and save a life!
Leah Ciolek
Would you donate blood to save her life?
Background: The Need
• Someone in the world needs blood every 3 seconds
• Shortages back to pre-9/11 levels
Source: Health & Medicine Week (Jan. 28, 2002)
Study Basics:Research Objectives/Hypotheses
• Attitudes: males, females, freshmen, seniors, volunteers, non-volunteers
• Behaviors: males, females, volunteers, non-volunteers
• Messages and media to promote blood donation among Lake Forest College students
Research Procedures
• Secondary data: periodicals, research reports• Interviews: regular blood donor, Red Cross worker• Focus group: 6 LFC students• Survey: convenience sample of 60 students
Objective 1:To compare attitudes of males & females
• Kieran Healy and John J. Burnett: Donors tend to be male• Focus group: Favorable attitudes among both men
and women• Survey: More favorable attitude among women,
more fear among men, more awareness among men• No significant difference exists between the
attitudes of males & females regarding blood donation
Objective 2:To compare behaviors of males & females
• Kieran Healy and John J. Burnett: Donors tend to be male• Focus group: No significant difference• Survey: More women than men (70%, compared
to 57%) had never donated; among frequent donors, gap disappears
• Significant difference between the behaviors of males & females regarding blood donation
Objective 3:To compare attitudes of freshmen & seniors
• Focus group: Age not a determining factor• Survey: More awareness among seniors,
more fear among seniors, greater understanding of the severity of shortages among seniors
• No significant difference between two groups, but freshmen need to be educated on the subject of blood shortages
Objective 3:To compare attitudes of freshmen & seniors
Application to media plan:
Include STATISTICS about the demand for blood on posters advertising blood drives
Objective 4:To compare attitudes of volunteers and
non-volunteers
• Kieran Healy: No correlation between volunteering and donating blood
• Focus group: Positive attitudes about volunteering don’t impact attitudes about blood donation
• Survey: No significant difference• Act of volunteering is not connected to the
act of donating blood
Objective 5:To compare behaviors of volunteers and
non-volunteers
• Secondary data and focus group: no connection between volunteering and blood donation
• Survey: 64% of volunteers had donated blood; 64% of non-volunteers had donated blood
• No significant difference between donating behaviors of volunteers and non-volunteers
Objective 6:MEDIA PLAN
• John J. Burnett: Use testimonials as promotional tools
• Red Cross worker: Find a “poster child” from among the college population
• Focus group: “People want to see how they’re actually helping”
Objective 6:MEDIA PLAN
• Hold on-campus blood drives at times that are convenient for students
Survey: “Timing and place can be inconvenient,” “The times held make it difficult for everyone to make it”
• Make blood drives more appealing to students (provide T-shirts, balloons)
Survey: “Consider…giving away T-shirts”
Objective 6:MEDIA PLAN
Include statistics and information about eligibility on posters advertising blood drives
Objective 6:MEDIA PLAN
• Acknowledge and address students’ fears• Use web site to communicate general info.
about donating, times/places of blood drives• To spread the address, use radio, email, TV
Are YOU Ready to Donate?Patients and victims
around the country will thank you for
giving…the gift of life!