Dracula is one of literature’s most famous characters, whose story has been associated with blood for more than a century. This Halloween gives him a somewhat different role: instead of taking blood, he helps people donate it. Audible and NHS Blood and Transplant have joined forces in the Give Blood with Dracula campaign, conceived and delivered by WPP Media, turning time spent in the donation chair into an opportunity to listen to a new audio adaptation of Stoker’s novel.
At blood donation centres across the country, donors can listen to a specially selected excerpt from the new Audible Original production Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The idea connects two seemingly unrelated activities through a simple cultural reference, using the recognition of the literary classic to make the donation experience more engaging while drawing attention to the need for new donors.
The collaboration was developed as part of the wider launch campaign for the new audio adaptation of Dracula, which Audible aims to position as one of the major cultural and entertainment releases ahead of Halloween. The activation also draws on the brand’s Time Well Spent communication platform, demonstrating how audio content can enrich time spent on everyday activities, including those that audiences would not normally associate with entertainment.
The campaign extends beyond the listening experience itself. Specially designed Audible and NHS Blood and Transplant branding appears in donation centres, while digital out-of-home advertising targets audiences nearby. An integration with the Citymapper app helps users find blood donation locations, while a collaboration with Time Out expands the communication through content aimed at potential donors.
For the execution, WPP Media brought together the teams of Wavemaker and WPP Media Sports & Entertainment, with support from specialist digital out-of-home advertising teams. The agency led the media strategy, channel selection and partner integrations, while the wider campaign for Bram Stoker’s Dracula spans cinema advertising, BVOD, SVOD, online video, OOH and DOOH, digital audio, podcasts, social media and influencer collaborations.
Rosa Rodriguez, Director at WPP Media, highlighted that the familiar connection between Dracula and blood served as the creative starting point, but that the key opportunity lay in the donation experience itself. The time donors spend during the procedure proved to be a natural moment for listening to a story, while the collaboration between the two clients made it possible to turn that insight into an experience that simultaneously supports the promotion of audio content and a socially important activity.
