Dating app Tinder has struck a deal with NHS Blood & Transplant to draw attention to a different kind of search for a match, the challenging wait for a donor match, in a new initiative devised by agency 23red.
Made in Chelsea’s Jamie Laing, Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones and Emmerdale’s Gemma Oaten are all backing the scheme. They all have profiles that appear on Tinder with ‘The Wait’ logo to help draw attention to the importance of organ donation. Tinder is promoting the campaign to its UK users who are 18-35 year-olds, which is an important group of people for the NHS.
Users who swipe right will match with these profiles and receive a message that states: “If only it was that easy for those in need of a life saving organ to find a match.”
They will be told there are thousands of people waiting for a transplant, be encouraged to say “Yes I donate” and click on the link provided to sign up on the NHS Organ Donor Register to increase the chance that patients in the future will receive the organ match they need.
Sally Johnson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood & Transplant, said: “Educating and encouraging individuals to sign up for organ donation – that’s what our partnership with Tinder is all about. While a third of the UK population have registered their intention to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register, millions more support donation but haven’t taken the final step to sign up.
“With the help of these bespoke profiles on Tinder, we’ll grab people’s attention and throw a spotlight on the importance of organ donation. Joining the register takes only a couple of minutes – about the same amount of time as a few swipes on Tinder. The best part is knowing that you could save or improve up to nine individuals’ lives in the future.”
23red senior planner Tilly Wilson commented: “It’s an extremely valuable collaboration. Our message is of a different kind of match, there are thousands of people waiting for a life saving organ. Tinder’s huge user base offers us a great opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation and bring it to the masses. We hope this will encourage registrations and save future lives.”
