DKMS Shifts How Gen Z Thinks About Stem Cell Donation with ‘Do the Swab’ OOH

DKMS has launched its 'Do The Swab' campaign, shot by photographer Nic Bezzina and produced by Treacle7, which transforms stem cell donor registration into a bold, gen z-focused call to action designed to make a simple life-saving act feel immediate, human and impossible to ignore.

'Do The Swab' shines a light on just how simple it is to register as a stem cell donor, a process that takes just a few minutes, but could save someone’s life.

Increasing the number of young people on the donor register is critical to improving patients’ chances of finding a life-saving match. Through this campaign, we set out to raise awareness among gen z, drive registrations, and ultimately help give more people a second chance at life.

Treacle7 were tasked with a deceptively simple challenge: how do you get gen z to care? This is an audience raised on constant content, where attention is fleeting and authenticity is everything. Traditional 'worthy' messaging was never going to cut through. So instead of telling people they should act, the campaign focuses on making the impact feel immediate, human, and real.

​Working in collaboration ​with Ourselves Creative Studio — B Corp, the idea, 'Do The Swab,' reframed the process in the simplest possible way:

“Stick it in​. Save a life.”

Provocative, direct, and impossible to ignore, the line taps into gen z humour while still delivering a serious message.

Executed as a bold OOH campaign, Treacle7 paired stripped-back copy with high-contrast visuals designed to stop people mid-scroll, mid-step, and mid-thought. The tone is confident, conversational, and culturally fluent, speaking with gen z, not at them.

By turning something clinical into something quick, relatable, and impactful, 'Do The Swab' shifts stem cell donation from feeling distant and medical to immediate, accessible, and life-changing.