Doctor Strange stars aim to recruit new heroes in NHS blood donation campaign
The NHS is capitalizing on the hype surrounding the release of the latest Marvel film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, to encourage cinemagoers to donate blood.
The film’s A-List stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen give their time for the NHS Blood and Transplant campaign. In the short film, they declare that viewers can “be the hero in their own story and someone else’s, just by giving blood.”
The pair point to a desperate need for 5,000 units of blood each day to treat cancer patients, as well as those with blood disorders and anyone suffering a medical trauma or undergoing surgery.
Zeeshan Asghar, head of commercial partnerships for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Blood donors choose to make a difference, just like the superheroes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We want to show the public that they already have the power to save lives just by giving blood. We are delighted to have the support of Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen. Our hope is to speak to people who may not have thought about blood donation before, and we believe our collaboration with Marvel Studios will help us reach this ambition.”
Overseen by Manning Gottlieb OMD, the campaign follows a major blood donor recruitment drive last October to plug a pandemic-related shortfall of 100,000 donors by the spring, prompting the use of live transfusion data to encourage participation.