In Portugal, The Walking Dead store makes customers pay with their own blood

Portugal's The Walking Dead Blood Store is getting fans to give blood in order to win merchandise from the series.

Cash isn’t the only currency that stores can accept in return for their goods — in the past we’ve seen South Africa’s The Exchange let only customers who pledge to sign up as an organ donor walk away with its products. In a similar fashion, Portugal’s The Walking Dead Blood Store is now getting fans to give blood in order to win merchandise from the series.

Developed in collaboration with creative agency Torke+CC and blood donation organization IPST, the marketing team behind the show set up a pop-up store in the Dolce Vita Tejo shopping center in Amadora in order to promote its fourth series. Visitors who agreed to donate blood were able to sign the relevant forms and undergo the procedure on site under the supervision of healthcare professionals. Once their blood was collected and packed away, customers were given points that could be exchanged for exclusive The Walking Dead-branded pin buttons, smartphone cases, t-shirts and even emergency hammers and crowbars. Interestingly, the scheme introduced a competitive element, with more points offered for more blood donated — although obviously strict limits were imposed to stop customers giving away too much blood.

Watch the video below to see how successful the campaign was:

IPST saw blood donations increase by 571 percent compared to the previous year’s figures — inevitably helping the organization to save more lives — while 17 percent more people tuned into the fourth series of The Walking Dead. Thanks to the campaign’s success, the team is planning future Blood Stores in Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, and even the United States. Are there other ways to encourage consumers to do good deeds they wouldn’t normally do through incentives such as this?