squished mosquitos make painted blood portraits for bug spray ad

squished mosquitos make painted blood portraits for bug spray ad
all images courtesy of BBDO

the moscow devision of advertising agency BBDO contrived an unusual and creative campaign to promote mosquito repellent brand glorix, which simultaneously turned into an advocacy effort urging people to donate blood.

the short video below shows the project in its entirety: an annoying, buzzing mosquito is squashed against what appears to be a white wall, leaving behind a nasty patch of smeared blood. what you don’t expect is that the bug-squasher is holding a paint brush and the wall is canvas — the artist quickly turns the red remains into a miniature human portrait, delineating faces in crisp and clear detail. these ‘blood portraits’ became the starting point for a micro art exhibition that featured a series of the painted images, each only visible through a nearby magnifying glass. 

the message seeks to relay the importance of every drop of donated blood, showing the small painted person as a symbol for the big impact donations make. when asked on the spot if they were willing to contribute, about 80 percent of visitors to the exhibition said ‘yes’.

blood from a squished mosquito is turned into a tiny painted portrait 

the smeared blood becomes a painting medium 

tiny portraits of human faces symbolize the big impact blood donation can make 

faces are intricately painted from the mosquito blood

the paintings are so small, they can only be completely seen under a magnifying glass  

the campaign simultaneously promotes bug spray and incites a call-to-action