“Georgi Nikolov” Str. is the first street in the world named after an organ donor, raising awareness about organ donation in Bulgaria.
For more than a decade Bulgaria takes the last place in Europe when it comes to organ donation, while thousands are waiting for a new organ. A new hope for life.
Despite Bulgaria’s opt-out system – meaning everyone is considered a donor unless they declare otherwise during their lifetime – the topic of organ donation remains a taboo. A simple conversation with the family can save a life, but fear of the unknown causes many to stay silent. And for those whose bodies are shutting down, silence is fatal. To break the silence, we recognized a local donor in an unprecedented way – by naming a street after him.
Strategic excellence
Since the opt-out system applies in Bulgaria, the only thing that could make the numbers of organ donations go up is the loud PR. By naming the first street in the world after an organ donor we sparked the much-needed conversation and it quickly became viral. The results? A record number of transplants were performed only a month after the news.