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AI Storytelling for Eye Donation Awareness: Mage Lassana Lokaya

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Campaign Overview

In 2024, Artslab Creatives earned the prestigious Gold for "Best CSR, Purpose-Driven Digital Marketing Campaign" at the SLIM Digis 2.4 Awards, as well as their first-ever Effie Award in the 'Social Good: Brands' category at the 2024 Effie Awards Sri Lanka. How did we manage to do this? We partnered with EWIS (Colombo) Limited, Sri Lanka's first original device manufacturer, to launch a groundbreaking corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign, "Mage Lassana Lokaya," in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society (SLEDS). By utilizing advanced AI technology, the campaign created emotionally compelling visuals and automated the donor pledging process, making the process more accessible and engaging. Strategically designed to commemorate World Eye Donation Day, the campaign aimed to address critical challenges in Sri Lanka’s eye donation ecosystem.

The Challenge

Despite being considered a major international eye donor, and the island's deep-rooted cultural inclination toward eye donation, inspired by Buddhist teachings, recent years had seen a decline in Sri Lanka's donor pledges. This was largely due to outdated manual processes, lack of updated donor records, and misconceptions surrounding eye donation. SLEDS, which has historically played a pivotal role in global cornea donation, struggled with inefficiencies in data management and storage, relying on stacks of paper-based pledges that were difficult to track and follow up on. For EWIS, a leader in Sri Lanka’s technology industry, the challenge was to help revitalize the legacy of eye donation by streamlining SLEDS’s operational inefficiencies. The goal was to raise awareness of eye health while fostering an emotional connection with audiences, ultimately increasing donor pledges through a digital-first approach.

The Artslab Solution

Artslab Creatives, in collaboration with EWIS and SLEDS, crafted a compelling digital marketing campaign that seamlessly integrated technology, cultural values, and emotional storytelling. The "Mage Lassana Lokaya" campaign unfolded in three distinct phases:

  1. Awareness and Empathy
    • A video featuring blind children describing how they "see" the world through touch, sound, and smell, visually interpreted with AI-generated images.
    • Released on Facebook and Instagram to maximize reach and engagement.
    • EWIS and SLEDS’s collaboration added credibility and amplified organic reach.
  2. Education and Engagement
    • Addressed eye donation misconceptions through informative content, myth-busting posts, and live Q&A sessions with medical experts.
    • Launched an online pledge platform, digitizing donor records for the first time.
    • AI-generated visuals and emotional storytelling bridged tradition and technology.
  3. Action and Conversion
    • Clear calls-to-action led audiences to the digital pledging platform.
    • Video-based and engagement-driven retargeting boosted conversions.
    • EWIS donated 30 high-quality corneal extraction kits, enhancing SLEDS’s operational capacity.

Strategic ad placements on Facebook and Instagram, coupled with organic engagement, maximized visibility. The campaign also leveraged internal networks such as EWIS’s WhatsApp groups to disseminate the message further.

Results

The "Mage Lassana Lokaya" campaign was a groundbreaking milestone for EWIS, marking its first digitally driven CSR initiative in its nearly forty-decade history. Unlike previous offline-first initiatives, this campaign demonstrated EWIS’s ability to integrate modern digital tools with socially responsible innovation. The impact of the campaign was multi-faceted:

  • Record-Breaking Digital Pledges
    • The campaign aimed for 500 pledges but achieved over 400 in 15 days.
    • By July 9, 2023, digital pledges exceeded 1,000, a significant increase from SLEDS’s previous monthly average of 200–300 paper-based pledges.
    • The digital system streamlined donor tracking and engagement.
  • Operational and Strategic Benefits for SLEDS
    • Digitizing the pledge system reduced administrative burdens.
    • Improved database management enhanced donor follow-ups and retention.
    • The 30 corneal extraction kits strengthened SLEDS’s capacity to meet local and international donation demands.
  • Unmatched Audience Engagement and Awareness
    • The campaign reached 1.2 million people, surpassing its 1 million target.
    • Over 250,000 social media engagements reflected strong audience resonance.
    • The AI-enhanced video sparked emotional responses, with audiences sharing personal stories.
  • Strengthening EWIS’s CSR Positioning
    • EWIS repositioned itself as a socially responsible innovator.
    • Its collaboration with SLEDS reinforced its reputation as a tech-driven company committed to meaningful social impact.

The "Mage Lassana Lokaya" campaign showcased how digital innovation, cultural storytelling, and strategic execution can drive meaningful social change. Artslab Creatives, through its collaboration with EWIS and SLEDS, not only helped revitalize Sri Lanka’s legacy of eye donation but also set a benchmark for impactful CSR initiatives in the digital era. Winning Gold at the SLIM Digis 2.4 Awards was a testament to the campaign’s success, reinforcing the power of purpose-driven marketing in bridging technology with humanity.