Ad advertising agency launches a bizarre campaign

Waffles, beer, chocolate and euthanasia: Belgium is famous for all of them. Will do-it-yourself eugenics be added to the list?

Creative Belgium, an industry group which promotes creativity in Belgian advertising has partnered with the Centre for Reproductive Medicine of Brussels and ad agency Air to advertise sperm donation.

Apparently there is a need for a new generation of creative advertising executives since fewer younger Belgians are taking up careers in advertising. “The number of students in creative fields has actually declined,” says Greet Wachters, manager of Creative Belgium. “Those who opt for creative studies don’t always end up looking for work in agencies.” 

Solution? Lots of vials of creative sperm in an IVF clinic.

Creative Belgium persuaded several prize-winning executive from different agencies to donate and then created an ad campaign. The poster depicts one of the men with the words, “Are you in the creative industry? Become a donor.” There’s also a video with sheepish male “creatives” and smirking female “creatives” discussing the initiative. 

An article in Adweek failed to mention any scientific studies on the genetic basis for creativity, and in fact Creative Belgium’s initiative seems to be based more on marketing than on genetics. So it’s hard to know how to read this stunt. If it’s not a hoax, it illustrates how little creative types know about science. If it is a hoax, it illustrates how trivialised sex has become. 

https://www.bioedge.org/images/2008images/TH_vial_Belgian.jpg
Creative commons
Belgium
eugenics
sperm donation

• Author
• Recent Posts

Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

Latest posts by Michael Cook (see all)

• How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
• House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
• Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021