I can imagine, the uproar such a campaign would have caused in India. If, that is IF, our Ad Club thought of running such a campaign. I don’t think that will ever happen. We move very small steps. We have taken some positives of pushing for a membership drive with life membership and linking event passes to membership. I personally appreciate both steps. Yet, its predominately metro (read Mumbai ) focus has been missing some opportunities.
Lets get back to campaign I was referring to. The one that made me smile and appreciate the efforts being put in by Creative Belgium. All for a ‘National Cause’. To support and discover the next generation of creative talent. They have initiated a call for sperm or egg donation from Top Ad executives.
But, if one wants to contribute to the cause and finds the above option process cumbersome, they can always make a start by becoming member of Creative Belgium.
‘People will do anything to protect a legacy. And Belgium is taking that to the next level.’
Meanwhile, Creative Belgium promises that the donations by Naïm Baddich (Publicis- 6 LIONS), Kwint De Meyer (mortierbrigade- 6 LIONS), Dieter Van Hoof (Friendship- 6 LIONS), Dieter De Ridder (AIR- 10 LIONS), Geoffrey Hantson (Happiness- 33 LIONS) and Iwein Vandevyver (Famous- 6 LIONS) will soon available in designated hospitals for fertilising eggs- and create the next wave of Belgium Lion winning brigade.
Creative Belgium tells you why you should become a member. As per mail reply from Creative Belgium, they have 360 members and are looking to take that to 500. Cost of Individual membership EURO 170, Student get it at EURO 135.
In addition to helping the national cause, there are specified benefits. They are not too different or unique but placing them at one place makes them sound good. The members get to connect during new year’s drink. Can stand for election to the board members. Be elected as jury members for prestigious “Chapeau”. Enjoy special rates for CCB awards entries and party. Get the CCB awards annual book and access to all awardwinning work since 2009. Access to lectures and workshops. Free subscription on De Persgroep / Rossel Advertising or the weekly magazine HUMO . Special rates for national and international workshops, trainings and seminars in collabs with D&AD, Contagious, Cannes Lions, Eurobest and Flanders DC. Invitation to the Lions Night in Kinepolis. 10% discount on a year subscription with Stack Magazines and 15% reduction on books at the complete webshop of LANNOO. I am not sure if members of AdClub or other Industry bodies are aware of their advantages.
BACKGROUND: Now why go to this extent. Well, there is an answer to this strategy. Belgium has a huge creative reputation. In four years, it has won 78 Cannes Lions with a a population of just 11.2 million. I know ratios should not be used for such events and extrapolating it to Indian population is not right.
CONCERN: In Western Europe, Belgium is not considered a serious market. Big companies usually split their Belgian budgets with France and Netherlands. As a result, Belgium often has little to no budget. Then again it has multiple langauges, but none large enough for big brands to target them. So, the secret to Belgium’s unique ad culture is strictly Hard Work to stand out.
PROBLEM DEFINITION: Young people are losing interest in advertising careers, which means for the industry there’s a crisis at the horizon. As per an Adweek article, Greet Wachters, manager of Creative Belgium puts it as “The number of students in creative fields has actually declined…. those who opt for creative studies don’t always end up looking for work in agencies.” Creative Belgium believes there is need for proactive behaviour.
INSIGHT: If one was to believe Professor and Dr Maryse Bonduelle of the Centre for Medical Genetics recent study on creative behavior among children, creativity is indeed partially hereditary . So if Daddy was creative, may be Junior will feel an affinity to the field. And the TG will find it really in good humour
SOLUTION: Partnering with the Centre for Reproductive Medicine of Brussels and ad agency Air to device a smart, creepy, and only vaguely eugenicist (expert in selective breeding for human improvement):
RESULT: ”Ad Babies”- an appeal to today’s creatives in Belgium to donate sperm and eggs!, to ensure Belgium’s creative future. They know ‘though one can’t guarantee a future generation of Lions winners, one can boost the odds’. Well Isabel, MD Creative Belgium says that the process of harvesting egg is cumbersome and they could not find any woman to agree for it- hence the campaign focussed on Sperm Donation.
PRINT AD ”Are you in the creative industry? Become a donor.” I visualised these with some of the faces of Indian advertising and could not control my smile.
VIDEO AD- Watch them carefully play around the situation. While passing the vial with sperms Hantson puts it niciely “One small drop for me, one giant drop for Belgian creativity.”
ACTION LINE: Both women and men are invited to become donors, or just members, of Creative Belgium. …………………………… The article draws upon the article by Angela Natividad in Adweek, inputs from Isabel – MD Creative Belgium and website.
This was first published in mxmindia.com
