NHS Blood and Transplant: Bleed for England

For the past few weeks we've seen brands and agencies rallying the nation to get behind the England national rugby team ahead of this week's opening game at the World Cup. There's been comedy, entertainment and a whole punch of patriotism to build-up to the biggest sporting event since the London Olympics.

To add to the spirit and feeling from a different angle, agency Pablo London has created an affecting campaign for the NHS encouraging fans to show their support in a more meaningful way as well as cheering on the team - by giving blood.

Drawing on the shocking stat that less than three per cent of people in the country do the deed that only takes only minutes out of their lives, the multichannel campaign encourages people to Bleed for England.

The central spot (above) is directed by Simon Stock through Squire and uses a rose, the symbol of English rugby, to convey the message. A making of film (below) sees former England legends including Johnny Wilkinson and Martin Johnson giving blood for the cause. The launch also saw ad industry figures from the agency world and beyond do their bit to #bleedforengland. You can join them by registering at blood.co.uk.

The campaign airs on TV during the World Cup this Friday 18 September in the UK.