We created a charity appeal like no other. The appeal was for dyslexia, but rather than asking people to donate money we asked for there to be more dyslexics in the world. By flipping charity advert clichés on their head, we presented dyslexics as blessed rather than as charity cases.

The film was released to mark the launch of the Dyslexic Sperm Bank – a pop-up sperm bank that only stocked dyslexic sperm. The film’s role was to advertise the Dyslexic Sperm Bank as much as it was to change perceptions of dyslexia.

The film was released just prior to the launch of the Dyslexic Sperm Bank through Richard Branson’s and Virgin’s social media accounts. The film was the third stage of the campaign, and was released into a context where the public was already interested in the dyslexic sperm bank.

In UK charity adverts it is common to open with “This is an appeal for X” (or words to that effect) followed by a sob story about a certain cause. We played on this cliché, flipped it on its head, and made an appeal for more dyslexic people.

Richard Branson was so impressed with the campaign idea that he became a permanent patron of the charity. The Sunday Times, The Independent, i Newspaper, ITV, BBC News, BBC Radio 4, The Metro, Mashable, The Fast Company and Huffington Post covered the campaign. The campaign reached 77 million and positive mentions of dyslexia went up by 66%.