Doctors Without Borders has launched a thought-provoking campaign showing how far, literally, support from donations to the medical humanitarian organization can go.
The “Scalpel” campaign, created with agency John St., includes a video that takes viewers on the desperate search for missing and much-needed medical instrument to help save lives in places impacted by war and natural disasters.
The quest for a scalpel starts in a refugee camp and then stretches across the ocean where it eventually shows a woman in Canada writing a cheque to help support the non-profit. The message is that, ”Your support goes a long way.”
“We wanted to find a way to communicate with people that they were part of our work, which can be quite difficult because all of our work is done overseas,” says Isabelle Jeanson, director of communications at the organization known in French as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Jeanson says the campaign — the organization’s first with John St. and its first brand awareness video in Canada with an external agency — was done to raise awareness about what they do and the types of people they work with. It’s not just doctors and nurses, Jeanson says, but also engineers and project managers.
“It’s important to remember that there are people around the world who don’t have the luxuries of Canada, the privilege of free health care,” Jeanson says. “Canadians can help us help those people.”
She says John St. came up with the concept for the video, which was shot in South Africa.
“It was a marvellous experience,” Jeanson says.
John St. worked with a local production company in South Africa and was able to secure free or discounted services and easier access to permits at places like the port because the work was for Doctors Without Borders.
There are three versions of the video: A 30-second PSA for broadcast, a 90-second spot for online and a three-minute in-theatre version that can also be used internally at Doctors Without Borders.
The campaign, which starts Sept. 19 and runs for four weeks, encourages viewers to share the film on social media using the hashtag #Scalpel. The goal is to drive donations, which account for about 90% of the organization’s salaries. Doctors Without Borders also hopes the campaign will encourage people to give back in other ways, such as volunteering.
Stephen Jurisic, partner and executive creative director at John St., says the idea for the campaign came out of its Montreal office. It was challenged to come up with something that was unlike most PSAs.
“It’s less of a guilt message and more of a communication and relatable message,” Jurisic says.
He says the scalpel is an iconic medical tool, and the music used — a remake of the 1960s Sam and Dave soul song “Hold On, I’m Comin’” — is meant to stir emotion.
“It had to feel big and important, like MSF is as an organization,” Jurisic says of the campaign.
The song will also be available for download on iTunes, with a portion of proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders.
The campaign also includes a direct mail piece, where influencers were sent a pen in a hermetically sealed pouch with a message that says, “This pen can save lives.”