NHS had a heart-to-heart with 3 million Snapchatters.

NHS Blood and Transplant is an arm’s length public body of the United Kingdom’s Department of Health and Social Care. They manage the donation, storage, and transplantation of blood, organs, tissues, bone marrow and stem cells, and research new treatments and processes.

In May 2020, the government changed the law on organ donation to “deemed consent” to allow more people to save more lives. ¹ The new opt-out system means it will be considered that you agree to be an organ donor when you die if you are over 18, have not opted out, or are in an excluded group. Under the new law, families will always be involved in any discussions around organ donation, so they needed to get people talking about their decision. Young people were consistently less engaged in the topic — thinking they’re going to live forever! — so it was important to find a disruptive way to educate and engage young people around organ donation.

NHS Blood and Transplant partnered with Snapchat to create a body-tracking AR Lens that indicates where in our bodies our organs are. The best part? This Lens only works when two or more people get together, acting as the catalyst that gets these important and informed conversations started between friends. Once the Lens is activated, Snapchatters can flip their phone around and point it at friends. There is also a swipe-up option that directs to the organ donation website.

Together with Commercials and Snap Ads, this AR Lens helped NHS Blood and Transplant have a heart-to-heart with 3M+ 18-24 year old Snapchatters in the UK about the importance of organ donation. ²