Male infertility awareness campaign.
In Support of Richard's plea, I've created this simple slogan. I used pink for the baby/love aspect of things and green the colour of hope as the colours for this image.
It's a straight to the point idea which I think your average male should be able to relate to. It's designed in a way that can be used anywhere in the world and I'm just posting it here to get some feedback from fellow bloggers and bloggettes alike.
Should I get enough positive feedback, I'm going to design banners and buttons so that it can become more blog display friendly and encourage bloggers and bloggettes of the infertility fellowship to display it on their side bar and to encourage others to do the same.
Reading about Richard's ideas made we wonder what I could do myself. I could of course write lengthy letters to politicians etc...but unless it's going to have an influence on votes most of them just wouldn't give a rat's ass about such issue.
We all have access to the internet and so do millions of others. let's make the most of it. I thought that the email idea was good but I for one probably would delete such things before even reading it because more often that not this kind of email contain crap advertising at best and viruses at worse. On the other hand an image displayed on a blog is not something you can delete, let's make our own generic advertising !
All rights of reproduction (pun intended) in regards to the picture above are not only allowed but also encouraged !
Let's not wait for governments to start things rolling, let's create our own international campaign !
posted by MAX at 1:52 PM
20 Comments:
Brilliant! What are you going to do with it?
DH admires your "clean visual style". And use of the term "wanker".
The only problem I see is that it's one too many steps to look up a local fertility clinic to contact. I fear a loss of momentum. Would it be better to say "contact your GP"? Or is there a specific number/website you can attach? (I can't think of one... but I haven't really looked into it in that sort of detail...)
Bea
Ahem... I may not have read your post thoroughly before asking what you were going to do with it.
Or at all, apparently. I'm back on track now, though.
Bea
Thanks for the feedback Bea, I didn't want to associate that campaign with any particular person or organisation as I am not sure about legal ramifications that would follow.
DD - An excellent idea. Good on you. Couple of suggestions (seeing you asked, haha)... I'm not sure if the small writing would appear clearly on a sidebar button.. Could it be done so those words pop up when you run your mouse over it? (Not sure what that's called.) Also something about the way the words "awareness" and "campaign" are split over two lines makes me uncomfortable. It looks a bit Microsoft Wordy. Could you just write "Male infertility awareness"?
Just my two cents about the general design. ;)
Meg,
Thanks for the input, I would definitively have to re-work it somehow so that it can be used as a button in the side bar perhaps in the form of an animated gif file.
Max,
I like it but I have my reservations about how many doctors surgeries would put up a sign that has the word Wanker in it for fear of upsetting sensitive people. It might be better with as W@nker, or I was thinking of something along the lines of "don't just do it for yourself" or the old monty python "Every sperm is sacred" thing.
We could obviously produce different ones by country to allow people to put the appropriate URLs and/or contact numbers.
Let's try and keep this ball rolling.
Love to you and Vee,
Richard
I'm also going to try and contact some of the Python members to see if they might be able to help in some way.
to be honest,Richard, I didn't have this pic in mind for a doctor's surgery, this one is just for the blogosphere however having said that I used the term "wanking" for the following reasons:
1/many people wrongly believe that donating sperm is just about "wanking into a cup".
2/It's there to shock and make people look, If you write something more "tame" it's more likely that no one outside your circle will look at it.
3/It's a word commonly used by men (and women) all over the world, a word with a double meaning that is provocative but not rude...(well not by australian standards).
There are plenty of informative and politically correct stuff out there for men that can be picked up at most clinics, this is just meant to be a head turner, something to raise someone's curiosity, it's direct,simple and to the point with a note of humour thrown in for good measure.
PS:
Thinking about the clothing label French Connection United Kingdom or FCUK for short, the main reason why most young people buy is because FCUK looks very much like another F word.
There also used to be a campaign for United colors of Benetton where as they would show shocking pictures totally unrelated to clothing, it might have raised a few eyebrows but I'm sure it was a successful campaign.
There is so much information out there that you need something to stand out from the rest and if it means getting people out their comfort zone, so be it !
Max,
Can you do me one of these with the National Gamete Donation Trust contact details on them? The email is info@ngdt.co.uk and the phone number is 0845 226 9193.
I hope you and Vee are both well and that the wait is not getting to you too much.
Cheers mate.
Richard
Absolutely Brilliant.
It is brilliantly marketable for newspapers... for example, richard wants to be interviewed on the donor shortage... the simple fact of this picture would be enough of a news hook to get him a slot in something like the guardian (UK) ... i would have thought.
Think you need to get an organisation behind you, like DCN or the national gamete... whatsit.
Thank you all for your comments, I've taken everything on board and I shall redesign the banner in the near future with a few changes.
Richard,
I definitively can make one with the info provided, I'll email you about it soon.
I agree that adding specific clinics gets a little icky legally. The National Gamete Donation Trust is perfect in that respect - we obviously need one in Oz!
To Richard: I think there might be some cultural differences at play. In the UK (or the US especially) the word "wanker" might seem risque, but to an Australian it's more "telling it like it is". Remember our government-run "Where the bloody hell are you?" tourism campaign?
To a European I would hazard (correct me) that it's attention-grabbing but not offensive. In any case, as said above, it's also got a lot to do with where you put it up.
Doctors clinics might not be appropriate, but student unions would be perfect.
DD also mentioned postcards in coffee shops which is ideal in Australia, at least in the major cities, but the culture doesn't tend to exist in the UK. Now, I only lived there for a few years, so Richard (and others) can correct me.
The UK has pubs, frilly tea shops in tourist areas and starbucks to fill that niche. None of which really fit.
Postcards can be found at indie cinemas and trendy bars in big cities. It's hard to think where (apart from student unions) you could run this campaign outside those areas. Mind you, perhaps the same could be said of Oz, just our population is less evenly spread.
Ooh, I'm getting all giddy with the concept now - can you tell?
Eagerly awaiting the re-draft.
Bea
this makes me want to cry.
I am not sure a newspaper in the USA could even print something like this or use the word "wanker' on TV. I have a feeling it would fall under those seven words George Carlin got in trouble for.
It is amusing but at the same time I also see Rel's reaction as honest as well. I plan on posting a more indepth piece on it on my blog soon.
Amusing? You have no idea.
Amusing only in the context of the term "wanker" and the ad being so public re the concept of masterbation which is obviously how this all occurs. Americans despite our crudity in film and tv are still a bit prudish about terminology. No offense meant by the comment.
Brilliant. You have managed to bring into stark relief the cold clinical facts about donor conception. Yes, the donor masturbates into a receptacle with neither passion nor love nor (I bet) does he think seriously about the consequences of his action nor the ramifications for the life that will be created. The sperm is then put on ice and sometime down the track (maybe five years or so) is medically facilitated to fertilize an ovum. Life is therefore created minus all the subtle energies which usually attend the act of human intercourse.
Good luck with your campaign Max. But really, if you're capable of self-examining enough, you might consider that the only wanker we need to worry about is you.
Perhaps you might also like to consider that the reason a sperm shortage quickly ensues when anonymity is removed is because the donors never really gave a toss about the consequences in the first place. Makes me wonder what would happen in the States if all their well-paid wankers were suddenly faced with the fact that they are ultimately creating a living breathing human being who is biologically their child and may wish to be reunited with them one day. I can see the dust plume rising already.
Of course, another reason might be that men are becoming more savvy to the exploitation of their reproductive capacities (and obliteration of their parentage) which donor conception represents; but, I suspect, this might still unfortunately be the least likely explanation.
I think this is a great thing... and I know my husband if possible would have donated to Richard's cause - unfortunately living in well MI makes it a bit difficult to get the stuff to UK. Anyways... ultimately I think it's a great awareness campaign and I'd display a button, gif, etc somewhere on my blog once you get things running.
I love it, though I agree that the term "wanker" would bring in the college boys in droves (in the US) but make everyone above the age of 22 cringe. As obnoxious as Americans are in social situations, we are pretty prudish when it comes to language...
That said, I think there does need to be some major education going down. I, for one, was completely unaware of the situation in the UK until I found Richard's blog. And as a Stirrup Queen, you would have thought that it would have made my radar screen. But we're female factor hence the tunnel vision of bad eggs, bad eggs, bad eggs.
Major questions I have about donor sperm--what are the other countries that have this open policy/dearth of donors? And is it possible to ship sperm? I know my friends who were doing PGD had to ship sperm from D.C. to Chicago. Wouldn't it follow that there would be a way (a very expensive way, albeit) to ship sperm?
If you've been on Life in the Soupbowl, Carrie is currently in her wait after a donor egg transfer. From a woman she met on the Internet. They met in an IF chat room. And who better to donate sperm than someone who has IF on the mind--perhaps a couple who have female factor. I think there's a possibility for a new wave of sperm donation. And if shipping isn't a choice, bringing the person to the UK (or another country) for a weekend is much less expensive than freezing and shipping sperm, regardless.
I, for one, would be happy to talk about this on my blog and get the word out there.
Post a Comment
<< Home