With one of the lowest birth rates in the world, activists in Singapore are using clever advertising campaigns and humor to try to trigger a baby boom.

By now just about everyone has heard about Japan’s drastically low birth rate, with all sorts of articles floating around the internet speculating the underlying reasons, like the increasing number of “herbivore” men and the younger generation’s lack of interest in dating. But Japan, which made a small jump from 1.26 children per woman to a cut above 1.40 in 2014 according to the Financial Times, isn’t the only country with problems when it comes to fertility.

Singapore’s overall birth rate was even lower than Japan’s in 2014, sitting at about 1.25. It’s low enough that the government is implementing looser immigration policies to help keep the population from shrinking as it tries to come up with ways to get women to start having babies in their early or mid-20s, rather than from their early-30s.

But rather than wait for the government to provide a solution, a non-profit group called I Love Children has decided to take matters into their own hands, urging more Singaporeans to start a family sooner than later through social media and their supportive community website, with early planning tips and fertility facts like the one below.

The organization also recently installed a number of colorful ads featuring some cute little swimmers in stations, malls, and on the metro.

Of course not everyone has been happy about these extra passengers on their morning commute, and the campaign hasn’t been without its share of backlash.

Yet considering Singapore’s birth rate has slowly risen by a couple thousand of babies per year since I Love Children began its efforts, the group doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and has recruited a number of Singaporean youths onto their side, like YouTube channel TreePotatoes, who just gave a shout-out to the organization with its latest video.

I Love Children and activists working with the non-profit might be bringing the most attention to the issue at the moment, but they certainly aren’t the first to use advertising to do so. Back in 2012, Mentos busted out this rap number to help get couples into the baby-making mood on National Night.

However, while these efforts are admirable, it can be hard enough having your parents or in-laws pressuring you to pop out some grandchildren, let alone the entire country making it a mission to see that you fulfill some kind of civic duty to procreate.

They say desperate times call for desperate measures, but what’s your take? Do you think Singapore is going about this issue the right way and Japan should take note, or would you suggest a different course of action?

Source: YouTube/ILOVECHILDREN SG, YouYube/TreePotatoes, YouTube/MentosSingapore

Top/feature image: YouYube/TreePotatoes