In cooperation with the National Health Service Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), Aesop Agency recently launched a set of three films under the 'Better Left Unsaid' campaign to promote conversation around organ donation.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the campaign suggests that there are some things better left unsaid, and some things that make for a worthwhile discussion, including conversations with loved ones around organ donation.

Aesop’s creative directors, Stephen Lynch and Ben Clapp, positioned the films around a Valentine’s Day dinner conversation between couples. The montage showcases a range of awkward yet comical interactions between different couples - exchanges such as, “I’m going to have a quick clear-out while you order dessert” or, "You’re gorgeous, you remind me of my sister”, are things that should not be said during dinner, or ever. Every film also ends with “Share your organ donation decision with a loved one this Valentine’s”, in order to draw attention to the critical issue.

Lynch says, “For many people, raising the subject of organ donation is not an easy thing to do. So Valentine’s Day - a time spent with your loved one - is as good a time as ever! We chose a humorous approach to cut through and make the sharing of one’s organ donor decision feel like a simple thing to do”.

The UK has one of the lowest organ donation consent rates in Europe, and according to the summary of donor and transplant activity on the NHSBT website, there has been a general decline in the overall trend of donors. Additionally, the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities will, on average, have to wait a year longer than the Caucasian community for an organ transplant, although they are more susceptible to organ failure due to lack of donors. With 10,000 people in need of a transplant, and a standard of three people per day losing their lives while waiting due to a shortage of donors, the campaign is important for NHSBT to encourage more people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register and converse with their families about it.

Aesop and NHSBT hope to, “Normalise conversations about organ donation”, says Ceri Rose, assistant director of digital and marketing at NHSBT. Through the aid of major social media and digital channels including Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, the campaign is set to launch in intervals. The first film was released on Monday 8 February, the second on Wednesday 10 February and the final is due to be released tomorrow, Friday 12 February, in anticipation of Valentine’s weekend.