Haskayne students help Canadian Blood Services

By Nicole Wheatley

A group of Haskayne School of Business students at the University of Calgary have started an advertising business temporarily tattooing students’ foreheads.

Their product, HEADvertising, will be featured at an awareness campaign for Canadian Blood Services where two students will have the CBS logo tattooed on their foreheads for two weeks in an attempt to boost awareness about donating blood.

The students’ new body advertising company, called Skin Deep Advertising, was created for an entrepreneurship class, similar to the popular television show The Apprentice, that has students start and operate a business for two weeks.

“ Only 3.5 per cent of the eligible population (12 million people) actually donate blood,” says Doris Kaufmann, communications specialist at CBS. “We’re hoping that by using fresh, unique advertising methods, young people will be ‘turned on’ to the idea of giving blood and saving lives.”

“ Students are continually inundated with marketing messages, to target this group of people, organizations need to stand out,” says Haskayne student Amber Churcott, one of several students who created Skin Deep Advertising.

“ HEADvertising is a brand new way of advertising that gets to students in places not reachable by regular advertising methods such as classrooms, residence buildings and libraries.”

University of Calgary biological science student Matt Chow and fine arts student Nolan Drew will walk around campus and the city of Calgary with temporary henna tattoos on their foreheads for the next two weeks promoting the next CBS clinic at the U of C on March 16 in the MacEwan Hall Ballroom (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.). Groups of three or more students can also take advantage of complimentary shuttle bus service whereby groups are brought to the downtown CBS clinic and returned after making their donation (call Carmen at 410-2722).