Australian Red Cross Lifeblood - 42 Days of Blood

Sydney Swans and Lifeblood reimagine Round 24 as ‘Round 42’ in M+C Saatchi campaign

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood and the Sydney Swans have unveiled ‘42 Days of Blood’, a new integrated campaign created by M+C Saatchi. Theming Sydney’s upcoming Round 24 match as ‘Round 42’, the campaign is a powerful reminder of Australia's ongoing need for blood donors.

At the heart of the campaign is the 42 Day Guernsey - a life-sized Sydney Swans jumper filled with deep crimson, blood-coloured liquid. Housed at the Sellers and Colless Centre, Sydney Swans HQ, inside the Royal Hall of Industries Moore Park, the sculpture is slowly draining over the 42 days leading up to match day. It is a visible countdown transforming an invisible fact into something impossible to ignore.

Inspired by the 42-day shelf life of red blood cells, the campaign highlights a little-known fact with striking visual impact - as new Lifeblood research reveals almost 95% of Australians don’t know how long donated blood lasts.

It also launches at a critical time, with winter recording the fewest blood donations nationally in 2025. Using one of Australia's biggest sporting stages, ‘42 Days of Blood’ encourages more Australians to donate regularly. The creative extends across owned, earned and paid channels, with out-of-home and digital out-of-home creative evolving over the campaign period to show the blood gradually disappearing from the guernsey, reinforcing the need for regular donations to keep Australia's blood supply strong.

The campaign culminates at the SCG when the Swans host North Melbourne in late August. Round 24 becomes Round 42, with integrated stadium branding, LED takeovers, a guard of honour and donor recognition moments woven throughout the match-day experience. As the countdown reaches zero, the final blood drains from the 42 Day Guernsey before refilling once again, resetting the countdown and symbolising the role every donor plays in keeping Australia's blood supply replenished.

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

Chief Marketing Officer: Jeremy Weiss

Head of Brand and Integrated Marketing: Bree Berg

Senior Manager Brand Strategy and Program: Rom D’Amico

Brand Partnerships Manager: Jo Lawson

Media and PR: Hannah Rayment

Senior Campaign Specialist: Becky Brownjohn

Sydney Swans

Head of Commercial Partnerships: Jad Maserow

Commercial Partnerships Manager: Sophie Atkinson

Executive General Manager – Customer: Natalie Fagg

Head of Media, Communications and Corporate Affairs: Tom Chadwick

Creative Agency: M+C Saatchi Australia

National Executive Creative Director: Jeremy Hogg

Creative Director: Kieran Moroney

Creative: Daniel Borghesi, Alexander Masson

Chief Strategy Officer: Simon Wassef

Client Partner: Louise Rutherford

Head of Sport & Entertainment: Jack Playfair

PR & Comms Lead: Jacqueline O’Neill

Senior Publicist: Jack Cousins

Account Manager: Alexandra Morris

Head of Integrated Production: Gemma Heyes

Design Director: Dutchy Baart

Integrated Designer: Kristopher McDuff

Media agency team

Paid media agency: Clemenger BBDO

Production - Vert Design Studio

Industrial Design Lead: Mitchell Brown

Industrial Designer: Georgia Graham

Production - Flint

Photographer/DOP: Andreas Smetana

Executive Producer: Belle Oliva

Additional photography: Phil Hillyard