California cops let registered organ donors off minor tickets

Organ-donor registration was low, and the only proof of it was a small pink dot on the license - essentially invisible, so few people were motivated to add it.

Casanova//McCann and Donate Life California worked with police to create Second Chances: a driver stopped for a minor traffic violation who shows the pink dot gets a second chance instead of a fine.

The reward only works for people who have already registered, so the pink dot becomes a desirable signal. The program turns a routine stop into a public thank-you to organ donors and makes registration feel like membership.

It ran with police departments including Fullerton, Placentia and Cal State Fullerton, and was shortlisted for Creative Effectiveness at Cannes 2021 after collecting multiple Lions and other trophies in 2019.

Give a tiny reward that only a donor can claim

A tangible, concrete reward beats an abstract request to donate.

The pink dot becomes visible and desirable, so registration trends upward.

Police participation gives the program legitimacy and free earned media.

Juries rewarded it as proof that a small gesture can drive measurable behavior change.

A tiny marker carries weight when it comes with a concrete reward, not just a request for money. Make donor status visible and rewarded, and registration becomes worth seeking.

In 2019 it won five Lions and 10 Cannes shortlists plus Clio, LIA, D&AD and Ad Stars trophies. The program was again shortlisted for Creative Effectiveness at Cannes 2021, becoming a reference case for behavior-driven public service work.