AUCKLAND, Today: DDB’s new campaign for the AIDS Foundation – designed to inspire candid coversations – is succeeding in spades. And it’s certainly stirred up NZ’s doddery homophobic community.
Today’s NZ Herald reports that some dissenters have even taken to defacing the street furniture posters with masking tape.
One worshipper at Equippers Church on Mercury Lane, who just wanted to be known as Joe, told this morning’s NZ Herald he found the billboard offensive. The 61-year-old felt the use of the term “f***” was “totally unnecessary”.
Another told the reporter: “This seems to be promoting casual sex, not preventing anything. Kids walk to school past this place and it’s putting a very adult conversation in their face – it’s pornographic.”
An Auckland father spotted the new billboard en route to his child’s school and was “absolutely stunned” by the language and imagery.
“K Rd is an interesting place and not every gay man is on Grindr or in gay bars so we have to have them where they will be seen.”
“There’s a church across the road and it’s on a school route, I just don’t think it’s appropriate to have that language.”
The Herald quoted Joe Rich from the AIDS Foundation: “We would never shy away from tough conversations about sex and the billboards were put where they would be seen by the target market.
“K Rd is an interesting place and not every gay man is on Grindr or in gay bars so we have to have them where they will be seen.
“We were mindful about where the billboards were placed and there are also strip clubs and sex shops very close to that street.”
In its 35th year, the NZAF’s philosophy of giving the best safe sex advice without judgement had remained unchanged.
“We have used the language the people were are trying to reach are using,” Rich said.
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