The Australian Red Cross Blood Service reveals why the meaning of life is 42 in new integrated campaign via Cummins&Partners, Melbourne

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams wrote that the number 42 is “the answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything”.

But in doing so, he left a whole generation of fans wondering: 42 what?  

A new campaign created by Cummins&Partners, Melbourne for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service aims to answer that question once and for all  – and in the process, create awareness of and drive action around Australia’s need for regular blood donors.

As well as creative duties, Cummins&Partners has also handled media strategy and buying and for the campaign, which kicked off off last week with a teaser campaign that included skywriting, street posters and stencils in major cities featuring the mysterious number 42. This was followed by the reveal of the full film, explaining the true meaning of the number and its link to blood donation. Radio, digital and OOH will also be in market over the next month, encouraging Australians to become regular blood donors. 

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Says Samantha Bartlett, Marketing Director at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service: “Most Australians are aware that giving blood is a good thing to do, but what they might not know is that their donation has a finite shelf-life. From the moment they donate, it has just 42 days to get to someone in need. It’s why we don’t just need people to donate today; we need them to donate regularly.”

Since the publication of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the number 42 has made regular appearances in popular culture, as an Easter egg in films and TV shows such as Iron Man, The Big Bang Theory and Lost. Scientists have also named asteroids, computer science labs and even parts of the Large Hadron Collider after the number. But no one has been able to explain exactly why the number 42 is so significant.

Says Tom Ward, Chief Strategy Officer at Cummins&Partners: “We’re not sure whether Douglas Adams was a blood donor or not, but the fact that 42 also happens to be the exact shelf life of a blood donation is either a coincidence of galactic proportions, or the answer we’ve all been searching for. It’s also a great way to educate Australians about the perishable nature of blood, and encourage them to make regular donations.”  

Cummins&Partners, Melbourne

Chief Creative Officer – Sean Cummins

Creative Director – Doogie Chapman

Senior Art Director – Connor Beaver

Senior Copywriter – Adam Slater

Designer – Rowan Hammerton

Head of Broadcast Production – Chris Moore

Broadcast Producer – Karley Cameron

Chief Strategy Officer – Tom Ward

Strategy Planner – James Bennett

Senior Integration Director – Sally Kingi

Senior Integration Manager – Kara Brumfit

Head of Connections Strategy – Johnny Corpuz

Connections Strategist – Calvin Lyons & George Groves

Media Managers – Will Millar and Monique Gerada

Digital Media Manager – Georgia Pedersen

Production Company – Finch

Director – Derin Seale

Executive Producer: Karen Bryson 

Producer – Camilla Mazzaferro

DOP – Matt Toll

Post Production – The Butchery and Finch VFX

Editor – Jo Scott

VFX Supervisor – Andy Timms

Lead Flame Artist – Quade Biddle

Colourist – Scott Maclean

VFX EP – Kent Boswell

Music – Electric Dreams

Composers – Pascal Barbare

Producers – Leyla Varela and Jeanette Little

Sound – Nylon Studios

Engineer – Simon Lister

Australian Red Cross Blood Service

Marketing Director – Samantha Bartlett

Head of Integrated marketing Communications – Jude Leon

Marketing Communications Specialist – Kim Feliciak