The coronavirus pandemic has led to a sharp decline in blood donations and the cancellation of thousands of blood drives, out of concern of further spreading the virus. While it may be a valid concern, the lack of blood donations could endanger the estimated 4.5 million people who need blood transfusions every year in the U.S. (according to Community Blood Center stats).

That’s why Chevrolet Brazil, in partnership with Hospital Albert Einstein and Shopping Eldorado, created the “Drive-Thru Blood Donation,” from agency Commonwealth//McCann Brazil—a division of WMcCann, responsible for the account service—and McCann Health São Paulo. Set up in the parking lot of Shopping Eldorado, located on the west side of São Paulo, sits a truck transformed into a complete blood donation center. Medical equipment is provided by Hospital Albert Einstein and the donation process is handled by hospital professionals, providing what the organizations say is a safer and more convenient way to give blood. The truck will remain in place through Aug. 14 and donations can be made via scheduled appointments.

“We set up a fully equipped and safe blood center in an easily accessible place, both to wait and perform the procedure and to recover,” says Hermann Mahnke, executive director of marketing at General Motors, South America. “We have the expertise of one of the largest hospitals in the country, and we transformed our Chevrolet truck into a blood donation center. Thus, we can contribute to the drop in blood banks caused by the pandemic.”

A $1 million commitment to effecting 'real change'

Work & Co, a privately-owned digital agency based in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood, has established a $1 million fund “to support startups and organizations focused on the advancement of the Black community,” according to the company. The agency says the fund will provide strategy, design and development services in the areas of “Black economic empowerment, Black voting rights and access, and criminal justice reform.” Organizations dedicated to any one of those areas can apply for help from Work & Co on the agency's website. The fund is part of a series of actions Work & Co laid out in June that also involved a $25,000 donation to organizations supporting Black lives; a commitment to better its own outreach to a more diverse set of colleges, universities, design schools and coding bootcamps; and a audit of the agency's actions “to track how we support Black and minority-owned companies through vendor relationships.”

“Like every business, Work & Co has a responsibility to break down the structures that enable systemic racism—through hiring, donations and demanding more from the government,” Work & Co Founding Partner Gene Liebel says. “But as a technology company, we can have more leverage than that. We can use our ability to build digital products to help reset the equation and enable racial justice. Our focus is going beyond messaging to launch tools that lead to real change and accountability.”

Mosaic commits to sustaining Pride momentum beyond June

June, celebrated widely as Pride Month, may be over but the fight for equality is not. The creative team at experiential agency Mosaic is sustaining the momentum behind fighting “for equality and intersectionality” beyond Pride Month through, in part, a new art series called “Portraits of Change.” Via Instagram, the agency is auctioning off portraits made by its employees depicting prominent LGBTQ activists, to raise money for Rainbow Railroad—a North American organization that helps LGBTQ individuals worldwide escape persecution and violence. Bidding starts at $50 and people can make their offers directly in the comments. Mosaic says it will be alerting the highest bidders in their DMs. The agency also committed to make its own donations to Rainbow Road for every piece that is sold.

The above portrait depicts James Baldwin, an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet and activist. The agency writes, "Baldwin’s intricate and powerful narratives ran in parallel with, or even preceded, some of America’s biggest political and social movements–often featuring African American or gay and bisexual men who confront adversity in their search for societal and self-acceptance. His work helped propel both the Civil Rights and Gay Liberation Movement, and to this day plays a prominent role in conversations on gender, race and class in Western society." The illustration was done by Harpreet Singh, a graphic designer at Mosaic.

This illustration was done by Oleg Portnoy, design director of Mosaic North America. It portrays Audre Lorde, who the agency says is "a self-described 'Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet, [who] dedicated her life to confronting injustices of racism, sexism, classism and homophobia." The portrait was the first in the series, posted to the agency's Instagram on Juneteenth.

It’s Black & White

A group of ad executives from agencies including Courageous, Brown & Browner, Gut San Diego, Made by J, Curtis, The Oneill Code, Modifly and Sauer Works have released a 10-question survey, called "It's Black & White," that aims to address the “strained relationship between Black and white people.” The survey asks participants to identify themselves based on the color of their skin and then delves into issues that explore whether, for example, they feel their hard work puts them on a path toward promotion within their company, if they have a close friend who is Black, if they think the majority of police officers are bad and if they truly believe the U.S. is “the land of the free.” Once each question is answered, the platform releases a bit of information on such issues including: “In 2006, one in 10 Americans weren’t satisfied with the freedom in their lives. Today, it’s one in four Americans.” The executives say they hope the project simply “makes people think.”

So far, the data collected has revealed that 55 percent of respondents who are white believe hard work puts them on a path toward promotion, while only 9.8 percent of Black respondents believe the same. When asked whether they think America is truly “the land of the free,” 24.8 percent of white respondents and only 3.92 percent of Black respondents answered yes.

Grubhub delivers AOR duties to 72andSunny

Ad Age's Jessica Wohl reports: A behind-the-scenes relationship is now being publicly announced. Grubhub hired 72andSunny New York as its creative agency of record late last year. But their partnership was under wraps, until now. 72andSunny New York’s animated “Magic Bag” campaign, which highlights the delivery brand’s rewards program, began running earlier this summer. The agency also worked on developing campaigns that have run during the coronavirus pandemic such as Restaurants are our Family as well as “How New York Still Eats” for its Seamless brand, Wohl writes.

Grubhub began an RFP process late last year, Jessica Burns, VP of brand marketing and creative, tells Wohl. “After rounds of jam sessions on the Grubhub brand, it was abundantly clear that 72andSunny’s perspective aligned with where we wanted to take the brand. Their response to our brief was exciting, smart and challenging; I believe that tension makes for the best work and partnerships, and is ultimately why we chose 72andSunny New York to lead this work,” Burns says.

Grubhub most recently worked with BBH. On the media side, Grubhub has worked with Havas Edge for more than a year. Grubhub has another relationship in the works. It is set to be acquired by Just Eat Takeaway.com, a $7.3 billion deal that is likely to close in early 2021.

Brief mentions

BBDO India has picked up an assignment from Bacardi Global Brands. The spirits manufacturer brings on the agency to lead strategy and creative for its Dewar’s scotch whiskey brand. Bacardi’s other brands include Grey Goose, Bombay and Sapphire, as well as its namesake Bacardi rum.

TBWA\Chiat\Day New York promoted Robyn Makinson to head of design from senior designer. Reporting into Chief Creative Officer Chris Beresford-Hill, Makinson is tasked with “ensuring design continues to elevate client work across the agency’s roster,” according to the shop. Before TBWA New York, Makinson spent time at Ogilvy as well as TBWA’s Paris office.

The Via Agency has won two new assignments: agency-of-record duties for CarGurus and a project with one of Staples’ private-label brands. The agency expects to debut work for both Staples and CarGurus, an automotive website for finding local listing for used and new cars, in the early fall.

Leo Burnett has picked up the creative account of Premier Inn following a pitch “amongst a shortlist of agencies specifically selected by the hotel company as mirroring its brand values,” according to the companies. Leo Burnett’s London agency will handle the business for the U.K. hotel operator, which will include overseeing a new global brand approach in Germany. The pitch was done virtually over four months.

160over90, a creative agency within Endeavor, was appointed by World Table Tennis (WTT) to help develop its global promotion strategy as part of an effort to "elevate table tennis to the global sports elite,” according to the companies. WTT also selected Pumpjack Dataworks to deliver custom digital content to fans; consultancy Gemba to provide further insight and strategy; and WPP’s brand agency Superunion to oversee branding and design initiatives.

Modifly joins the agency roster of Pureboost, which markets itself as a clean energy drink. The independent agency will be working to help the brand expand its offering through a direct-to-consumer strategy, social media management, creative and influencer marketing, as well as paid ads. Gilliam Snyder, marketing director of Pureboost, says the company’s “goal for the year was to diversify our revenue stream beyond Amazon.” Due to the pandemic, Snyder says the brand was forced to think beyond an expansion of its retail offering, which was its initial focus.