Dick pics get men’s attention. Is there a better way to deliver a message to men about checking for testicular cancer?  

Ogilvy Amsterdam and the Testicular Cancer Foundation seized the opportunity afforded by a decent snow coverage in The Netherlands to build snow penises and photograph them for their social campaign to get men to check their balls. Then they shared the pics across Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, accompanied by simple instructions for self-examination.

Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer among men between 15 and 40 years old, with approximately 800 new diagnoses annually in the Netherlands. However, when the disease is detected early, the cure rate is as high as 95%. So, regular self-examination is essential.

Ivo Struik, Director of the Testicular Cancer Foundation, stated, “We see that humour helps to discuss a sensitive topic. By encouraging men with a smile to check their balls, we hope that the message stands out and that they actually proceed to self-examination. Because the earlier you catch it, the greater the chance of recovery.”

Tolga Büyükdoğanay, chief creative officer at Ogilvy Amsterdam, added, “We saw that people put serious time and effort into making enormous snow penises. If you can invest so much time in a joke, you can certainly spend two minutes checking your own balls. Testicular cancer is very curable when detected early, but if ignored, it can be fatal for a small group. So those two minutes can literally save your life.”