Monash IVF breaks down stigma for 1 in 6 Aussies with infertility in brave new campaign via SDWM
Monash IVF has launched a new campaign ‘Let’s be brave together’ via newly appointed creative agency SDWM.
The campaign, which launches across TV, radio, digital and social this week, aims to break down stigmas and start a conversation about fertility.
Since achieving the world’s first IVF pregnancy in 1973, Monash IVF have led the way in reproductive health in Australia. As pioneers of IVF, it knows that the dream of starting a family can be difficult and filled with uncertainty, and isn’t always as simple as people expect.
This new creative direction seeks to highlight the brave journey to parenthood undertaken by so many.
Monash IVF chief marketing officer Fiona Allen said the campaign will open up a much needed conversation: “The path to parenthood isn’t always the fairy tale we’re promised, and with one in six Australian couples facing fertility issues, it’s time we talked about it.
“There are too many people out there feeling isolated, or that they’ve somehow failed, when in truth their determination to do whatever they can to achieve their dream of a family, is truly awe inspiring and brave.”
SDWM creative director Elle Bullen said the ‘Let’s be brave together’ campaign is an acknowledgment of the bravery it takes for some to achieve their dream of having a family: “From solo parents, to LGBTIQ people, and others who are coming to terms with things not going according to plan, the campaign shares real peoples’ fertility challenges with the intention of letting others know they’re not alone in their battle, and that their bravery in fighting for a family is inspiring.”
Allen said the campaign marks a shift towards education and empowerment for Monash IVF, while still maintaining their world-class clinical excellence and scientific leadership: “It allows us to not only be a leader in the scientific aspects of fertility health, but also lead the way in opening up the conversation and breaking down barriers and stigmas relating to infertility.
“We want to inspire individuals to understand their fertility challenges earlier, have conversations and proactively safeguard their fertility health and wellbeing.”
“We’re really excited about this new brand direction for Monash IVF.”
Client: Monash IVF Group
Chief Marketing Officer: Fiona Allen
Senior Brand and Communications Manager: Julie Haslam
Communications Manager: Ellie Dixon
Creative Agency: SDWM
Creative Founders: James Orr & Elle Bullen
Design Founder: Jake Turnbull
Business Founder: Jarrick Lay
Copywriter: Alberta Gunner
Project Manager: Caterina O’Brien
Production Company: Accordion
Producer: Greg Toolen & Adam Litchfield
Director: Nicholas Carlton
DOP: Max Walter
Sound & Audio: Windmill Audio
39 Comments
This is really good. Well done. I know many.
Good stuff.
The truth hurts.
But knowing a lot of people who have faced and are still facing this journey,
the truth is what this category needs.
We successfully went through IVF, but there’s nothing brave about the process.
Optimistic would be a better description, or resilient.
Brave is facing cancer, or recovering from a debilitating injury or illness.
IVF is the last resort for those desperate to have a child with no other options.
It is brave to invest love, hope & money into something so uncertain
Rebecca & Donna says 1 year in the film and 2.5 years in the stills.
Carly’s raw emotion is so accurate and so relatable. Well done Elle, Jake and team.
This is peddling false hope. There’s nothing brave about a family with 2 kids having a third via IVF. Being brave is facing life without kids for those who desperately want them and not being suckered into an industry that makes money off hope.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think success at Monash IVF is around 6% – so 94% of people who go fail to have kids.
Your statistic is bogus. Obviously it’s not that black and white. Common sense would dictate that there’s an enormous raft of factors that would contribute to an individual’s chances of success.
Ask them to publish their success rate!!
So, no to common sense then? Cool.
Nice to see a client showing some courage. Kudos.
Courage? exploitation.
this is damaging and insincere. 6% success rate at Monash IVF
I’m sorry but I disagree. What you’re describing is blind faith.
Going through a non-essential medical procedure is not brave by any stretch, no matter how much emotion you invest in it.
It’s like saying that falling in love is brave.
I agree, falling in love isn’t brave.
But choosing to be vulnerable and open up to someone you love, thats brave.
Exposing yourself to potential heartbreak, that’s brave.
Sexting a 38-year-old drama teacher with a varicose vein on his left testicle who you met at Manoosh Pizza when he accidentally took your zaatar bread, thats brave.
Inviting him over to your parents house for scones, despite the chance that he may be an asymptomatic carrier of the COVID-19 virus, thats BRAVE.
Going to a pub trivia night you KNEW he was going to be at, despite the fact that he ghosted you three weeks ago after he cried during sex, THATS BRAVE!
So don’t be so reductionistic with your reasoning. Don’t undermine people’s decisions to have a child via IVF. It is brave.
It is an extremely nerve-wracking commitment, to decide to go down that path knowing the potential heartbreak that may be waiting around the corner. But people do it anyway. Because they have faith, yes. But also because they are brave.
5 years of IVF before we had our daughter.
Determined, hopeful, hopelessness, emotional, sore, bruised, disappointed, heartbroken, stressful, nervous, afraid, scared, lonely, joy.
There are a hundred adjectives I could use to describe
our IVF journey (miscarriages and all), but bravery
isn’t one of them.
In fact, I find the use of the word brave disingenuous.
I’m pretty sure they have published their success rates. https://monashivf.com/ivf-success-rates/
8.8% for 40+ not 6%.
Infertility and miscarriages are heartbreaking.
Our journey was 10 years of secondary infertility with one miscarriage.. and 2 full term pregnancies.
No reason provided for that journey.
Now, I know that any infertility is the symptom of an underlying disease process. I now work with couples with Infertility to identify the cause and treat the cause. The result is pregnancies achieved naturally…. Its powerful, its empowering…. Its called restoring fertility!
Isn’t our job all about creating an emotional response from people whom might need our product, in the hope that when it comes to purchase they think about us over others? I reckon you ask anyone who has been through the IVF process whether they consider themselves ‘brave’, and I think they would say yes. No matter what the correct definition of ‘brave’ officially is. The work is is true and simple and real, and whilst yeah I’m not wowed by the ‘craft’ of it its enough for this ‘brave’ IVF-er to feel a little bit better about herself, and probably about the company doing this work. Job done.
Talk about the work, not the IVF process, and certainly not about the people whom are ‘brave’ enough to go through it.
Learn the difference between who and whom.
Lovely that these people are brave but they tend to show the success stories! I think those like my daughter who have tried absolutely everything are definitely the brave ones! Spent literally hundreds of thousands on treatments, including 4 failed IVF, fertility specialists, gyno, naturopaths, smoking ceremonies, acupuncture, bioresonance, massage, yoga, reki, acupressure, psychologists, hypnotherapy, Mayan therapy, And the list goes on… and been told at 30 to give up now because there is no way she can ever have children…..well she I believe is brave! Brave to have to visit her friends and family who every week are giving birth to their children! Brave to go to baby showers with a gift and a smile! Brave to hold their friends Newborn babies in their arms! Brave to be happy for others who are pregnant whilst they can’t be!
I was actually very upset to see this advertisement from Monash! Sorry!
Please Monash IVF…don’t just show the success stories, but the unsuccessful stories too…..these are the real brave ones if you ask me!!
Brave is not what drives people it’s desperation driven by societal pressure that makes people put the pressure on themselves
Why would Monash IVF – a business that basically sells incredibly expensive hope – shatter that illusion by marketing their unsuccess stories to prospective clients, who are no doubt already aware of the incredibly-small chance of IVF success? Serious question.
Thanks. You’ve perfectly reinforced my argument.
By your definition, doing almost anything is brave. Going through IVF is no more brave that sexting someone you met at a pizza restaurant.
Which is exactly why this campaign is flawed.
What a clumsy expression of the idea. And such a dark ad. Jeezzuss!
I’d love to see the research and insights that went into this campaign because it ain’t BRAVE.
Completely and utterly the wrong word and expression of the idea.
seriously,
trying IVF Monash almost a year,but every time something new,if u guys thats expert plz use your best method or technology first,do not experiment on people and I wasted 20 Grand already and losing my hope😢😥
Unfortunately most commenters are confusing their own experience with IVF with advertising. I think this work is pretty bland. Dare I say, it needed a brave idea.
We did IVF.
It almost destroyed me as a person, emotionally and physically. Got no idea how my wife coped so well.
We were lucky.
You have to be brave to do IVF (or as desperate as we were), but only if you know what happens next (or not happen).
Man…watching this ad just bought back the horrors and uncertainty of that time.
I keep coming back and reading these comments. I’m so disappointed in SDWB and all those involved. I wish our industry could see when we are doing bad and evil things. If people are desperate enough to do ivf they’ll find it. We don’t need to layer on the guilt and false hope.
Let people know if you do ivf you probably still won’t have a kid. Be part of a kinder world.
I’ve been going through this process unsuccessfully for some time and I can tell you, the number one thing I seek out is stories of shared experience. Trust me, the kindest thing this company can do is to be frank and honest about how brutal this experience can be – and that’s exactly what they’ve done. I’m also quite stunned you wouldn’t grasp how unkind it would be to label my really hard, and really involved decision to do this as merely desperate. I am not hopeless or guilty and you’re actually just insinuating nativity on my part under the guise of ‘disappointment in your industry’. I’m not naive and your attempted defence is misguided and mean-spirited.
How about fewer personal anecdotes and more objectivity in the critiques.
Love it or hate it, it does not matter.
The market will decide.
Either sales will go up, or they will go down.
Kind of like cigarette advertising hey.
Haha. Seriously? That’s the equation? And face masks equate to nazi imperialism, yeah? Take a breath. And a drag.
Wow. Anyone would think this was an ad for corporal punishment rather than IVF. Who knew there were so many noble ideologues working in advertising. Never mind the irony of so vehemently questioning the ‘bravery’ of the client, agency and REAL people featured while hiding behind a pseudonym in the comments section of a blog.
This is just a crap testimonial wallpaper.
Disgusted by this ad. Brave is knowing that your body betrayed you and you are not financial enough to pay for ivf and watching everyone around you have kids. Knowing you can’t. Then in the one place you can escape children is your home and then you bastards Crete this ad. NOT HAPPY!
This comment is about the cultural diversity in your add. I’m sure non caucasian people, or people with names like Effie, Guido, Amina, Trinh, etc also have infertility issues. Especially in Victoria you should be more culturally sensitive about your audience.