Sickle Cell Ball
NewYork-Presbyterian · 2025
2 awards: Cannes · Clio Health
Strategic insight
A disease neglected by culture becomes impossible to ignore when embedded in culture itself. By making the sickle cell shape the hero of an object that commands global attention, the work trades abstract health messaging for tangible, playable visibility.
The Format
A regulation basketball redefined as activism—not a poster, film, or donation page. The ball itself is the argument: it plays in games, appears in video games, gets trick-shotted on social media. Utility and visibility are inseparable.
Business Result
Reached 300 million people in a single month and generated $5 million in direct funding for clinical research and treatment programs. The campaign converted awareness into measurable research capital.
