Responses by Eric Schutte, executive creative director, DeVito/Verdi.

Background: The ads for LiveOnNY aren’t here to be polite. They’re here to make you feel responsible for saving the lives of others and inspire you to see the lifesaving nature of organ donation. They’re written to be sharp, fearless and memorable headlines that can cut through the clutter of New York City. They’re designed to turn organ donation from a nice idea to a top-of-the-list decision because waiting is exactly what people on the list can’t afford for you to do. The target: Every New Yorker whose eyes these pass in front of. The lines don’t ask for attention. They earn it, then demand a reaction. And based on the results, they worked.

Design thinking: Stop talking about organ donation like a brochure does and start talking like a human being with something at stake. The headlines take an uncomfortable topic and drag it front and center into the viewer’s world, using language that feels familiar, blunt and even a little inappropriate so it lands fast and hits hard. Some headlines go straight for the gut punch, forcing you to imagine someone waiting for an organ. Others disarm you with humor, then it hit you when you realize what you’re actually laughing about.

Either way, they say exactly what needs to be said, just not in a way that you’ve ever heard it. So the message sticks with you and ultimately pushes you to act.

Challenges: The hardest part isn’t writing great headlines; it’s how important the headlines are. When you know great work can literally turn into more registered donors, every headline carries consequences. Get it right, and lives are saved. Get it wrong, people ignore it and up to eight people continue waiting for an organ. Every year, thousands of people die waiting for an organ transplant. That kind of
math changes everything. You’re not chasing clever. You’re not just checking off a box. You’re finding a way to make an impact. You’re finding a way to break through and make someone care enough to act right now. This ad campaign captures that rare moment where the difference between good ideas and great ideas dictates if someone lives or dies.

Favorite details: The positive impact the campaign has had on donor donations—a 70 percent increase over the last three years in the New York Metro region, especially among groups that have historically been underrepresented. Notably, 60 percent of donors and transplant recipients in New York are Asian, Black or Hispanic. Knowing that the work resulted in more people staying alive and well and are now able to spend more time with their families—it doesn’t get any better than that.

Visual influences: The facts we learned about organ donation were both terrifying and inspiring.

1. Every eight minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list.
2. 5,600 people in the United States die every year while waiting for an organ transplant.
3. One out of three deceased organ donors is over the age of 50, which means there’s a significant opportunity to influence younger donors.
4. In 2025, more than 23,000 donors brought new life to recipients and their families.

Visual influences: The extremely powerful PSA style headlines with stripped down copy. The simple blue background clears the noise and creates a calm place and gives the headline nowhere to hide and nothing to compete with. The big unapologetic type
does what it’s supposed to do: It hits you hard and fast, and it sticks with you. No clutter, no excuses—just a message that lands in a second and stays with you a lot longer. Hopefully, long enough to make the viewer think about that important decision to become an organ donor.

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