Second Life Toys, a Japanese organisation hoping to raise awareness about organ donation, has come up with a brilliant concept. A unique and creative way of communicating the difficult of issue of organ donation to sick children, capturing global attention.

Japan, overall, has a world-class healthcare system, however child organ donation and transplants are severely low, prompting a need for greater communication and education. “Less than 10 organ transplant operations [occur] annually, nationwide” explained Togo Kida, one of the creative directors developing this campaign. “people tend to avoid this topic. Simply, for the Japanese people, the topic of organ transplant conjures up an image of death, and therefore becomes a barrier for them to talk about this topic. When it comes to child organ transplant, the tendency intensifies.” That’s why it is so important for Second Life Toys to come up with a way to make this topic more approachable.

The idea is for donor animals (still loved but not played with anymore) to give a new life to recipient toys with a faulty body part. The project asks participants to donate sick toys and donor toys for a life saving transplant. Recipients of these newly refreshed animals are then asked to write a thank-you letter to the donor, demonstrating the rewarding ripple effect that comes from selfless giving.

This beautiful idea simplifies such a complex issue, breaking down hesitation a patient may feel towards transplants. It also helps to bridge the conversation between parents and doctors to understand urgent need for donors in a society where historically, strict legal limitations have hindered organ transplant.

The creative mashups of animals look brilliant, even cooler than they did before!

This brilliant strategy shows the importance of relevant communication to your audience. Using soft toys as a motif, this project gently communicates to the audience of parents and sick children the benefits of organ transplants. A generally taboo topic is strategically reimagined to be approachable to everyone.

Stephanie Leo
Design Creative

Image Source: http://www.boredpanda.com/child-organ-transplants-social-campaign-second-life-toys-japan/