A Danish NGO just dropped a Calvin-Klein-style parody that stopped me in my tracks: “Are You Packing Microplastics?” It’s uncomfortable, and exactly the kind of provocation that gets a real issue, plastic in our bodies, out of the abstract and into your face.
This provocative “Are You Packing Microplastics?” campaign, created by the independent agency Worth Your While in collaboration with Glue Society for the NGO Plastic Change, targets male decision-makers during the UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Geneva.
It parodies iconic Calvin Klein-style underwear ads, replacing traditional bulges with PET plastic bottles, and even swapping logos for eye-catching slogans like “How toxic is your masculinity?” and “4 out of 5 dicks are packing plastic.” These striking black-and-white visuals are designed to confront men with the unseen consequences of plastic exposure on fertility: research shows microplastics have been found in 80% of sampled penile tissues and universally in testicular tissue.
What should the Printerverse take away from the “Are You Packing Microplastics?” campaign … When concept, craft, and context align, print still owns the public square.
My challenge to the industry: stop proving print’s worth with safe work. Produce creative, worthy self-promotions. Shock and Awe! The power of print is attention-grabbing. If it feels a little dangerous, you’re probably getting close.
PUSH LONG AND PROSPER!
Deborah Corn is the Intergalactic Ambassador to the Printerverse at Print Media Centr and Executive Director of Girls Who Print, a global nonprofit supporting women in the industry. She’s a ‘Print Buyerologist’, international speaker, blogger, and host of Podcasts From The Printerverse. Deborah also leads the Print Production Professionals Group on LinkedIn, the largest print group on the platform, and is the founder of Project Peacock, an educational initiative that has connected with more than 8,000 print customers, students, and printers through live events, online programs, and streaming video content on ProjectPeacock.TV. She is also the founder of International Print Day, an annual global celebration of print, and the recently launched PrintFM Radio, the first
Through all her work, Deborah delivers printspiration, education, and valuable resources to print and marketing professionals around the world. She’s the recipient of multiple industry honors, including the 2016 Girls Who Print Girlie Award, and serves on advisory boards and technical committees supporting print education and career development, including the Advertising Production Club of NYC, Graphic Communications Education Association (GCEA, Lewis-Clark State College, and Five Keys Schools and Programs.
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