Since rebranding two years ago (formerly Be The Match), NMDP has faced a challenge: rebuilding awareness and getting people to care about a difficult, often-avoided topic like blood cancer. NMDP turned to Tombras to make something impossible to ignore – a spot so outrageously watchable it could spread like a viral TikTok, while teaching viewers something that sticks.
Enter a singing puppet backed by a raucous metal track who spreads the word about NMDP and everything they do to fight blood cancer. Tombras partnered with Bob Industries directors Spencer Susser and Daniel Campos to create a custom song that acts as an earworm and highlights NMDP’s enormous efforts. The result: a high energy spot filled with momentum and passion, embodying NMDP’s relentless pursuit of eradicating blood cancers and diseases.
The PSA opens on a late-night office worker trying to dodge a pesky pop-up asking, “Want to talk about blood cancer?” When he clicks no, the room erupts – confetti flies, guitars shred, and an 80s-style puppet bursts in singing: “For blood cancer to go away, a blood stem cell transplant is the way!”
As the rock anthem unfolds, the puppet convinces the stunned office worker to swab his own cheek, demonstrating just how simple it is to join the donor registry. Once the swab is typed or “read,” the screen displays a real blood stem cell donor and transplant recipient that matched in real life, closing with NMDP’s purpose for existing: Find Cures. Save Lives.
From custom lyrics and a professional rock vocalist to world-class puppeteers, the production was brought to life with a crew of passionate directors and producers who volunteered much of their time to help ensure NMDP’s message reaches more people.
The objective of the client brief was simple. Stand out in the PSA differentiation drought. Break the intense silence surrounding blood cancer with a message loud and clear enough to interest and intrigue everyone. From the moment the PSA launched, the industry was talking about it. From Ad Age, to Muse by Clio, to Yahoo! Finance – people were finally talking about how to help people with blood cancer and about how to join the registry. Our audience began spreading the word that NMDP needs more donors to save more lives. Since launching in November, the PSA has reached over 1 million people with no media spend, garnering an estimated CPM of only $9 – much less than a traditional television buy. And on paid search and social alone, our spot has reached almost 30 million people – with much of the paid media optimizing to the :60 video above all other brand content.