DKMS OOH Awareness Campaign

In the UK, those from ethnic minority backgrounds are three times less likely to find a compatible blood stem cell donor. The national register needs far greater diversity and DKMS is committed to changing that. But our insight and research groups revealed a major barrier: awareness of blood cancer, and DKMS’s role in fighting it was extremely low, particularly among Black Afro-Caribbean and South Asian communities. Our task was to increase awareness, broaden the register, and do it in a way that resonates culturally.

Audience & Insight
We knew that to reach the communities most affected, the campaign had to show up in the right places, with the right cultural cues. Through research groups, we uncovered a powerful insight:

Family, especially aunties, plays a central role in health decisions in many minority households.

Pair that with the need for a more approachable, less medical-feeling message, and a creative direction quickly became clear.

Creative Strategy
We created a campaign that was:

• Fun, bold, and culturally familiar
• Led by humour and human connection
• Designed to spark conversation, not just awareness

And from this, The Aunties were born.

A playful set of characters who used humour, warmth, and unmistakable cultural cues to encourage people to join the register. They became the bridge between a serious issue and an inviting, relatable moment of engagement.

Media Strategy
To effectively reach diverse audiences, we built an OOH plan centred on high-impact placements across key UK cities:
• London (Southall, Brixton, Tottenham, Stratford)
• Birmingham (including Alum Rock Road)
• Leicester

We activated across bus routes and key commuter corridors known for their high density of Black Afro-Caribbean and South Asian residents, ensuring scale, repetition, and cultural relevance.



Across the 4-week campaign, we delivered:
• 150M+ impressions
• ~23 average frequency—ensuring repeated exposure
• 35,000+ landing page visits

A significant increase in donor registrations during September, both month-on-month and year-on-year.

Most importantly, DKMS saw new, diverse audiences engaging with the cause—bringing them closer to their mission to diversify the donor register.