When your image is poor, you need to call the professionals. This week's case for treatment: marriage.

The Problem

Marriage is in a bad way. The number of people taking the plunge has dropped by 20% over the last decade, and recent figures showed that Britain has practically the highest divorce rate in the Western world, and the highest number of single mothers.

The Advertising Agency

The professionals called in to tackle the problem were the Yellow Grey group, which is part of Grey advertising, with many clients in both Britain and the US.

The Solution

There are all kinds of reasons for the unpopularity of marriage, " says Kate Munson, group planning director at Grey. "For one thing, women have greater financial independence than in the past; for another, there is the decline in the traditional view that the man should go out to work and bring in the money, while the woman is the homemaker. "

In view of these various difficulties, Grey realized that they needed something with impact. They decided, therefore, on a campaign that would give men a short sharp shock, and make them think about marriage in ways they hadn't considered before. And what could grab their attention more effec tively than this poster?

"Research suggests that married men earn more and achieeve more in the workplace than single men, " says Munson. "They score more highly on tests of psychological well-being, are happier, and lead healthier, longer lives. No surprise then that they are also less likely to commit suicide or die violently. "

"It is equally telling fact, " says Munson, "that around 40% of marriages today are between couples where at least one parter has been married before. And men aremuch more likely to take the plunge a second time than women."

The ads are meant for intelligent people in their mid to late twenties, and are inteded as a shared joke."If you choose an image of aloving couple to promote marriage, nobody's going to notice it." Munson is aware that it may be necessary in future to build more serious ideas into the campaign, but for the moment it is important to get across the idea that marriage isn't a terrible burden or responsibilitiy. It is a simple message. the happier you are, the longer you live - and marriage can make you happy.