Fri 7 Nov 2014 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Love Your Condom says its newly-launched ‘Gear Up’ ad campaign is deliberately sexy, masculine and playful. The New Zealand AIDS Foundation’s HIV prevention arm has posted the striking ads on billboards, in bus stops, online and on street posters and ambient media in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. One shows Auckland dancer and choreographer James Luke nude on a bike with a helmet covering his crotch: The other features Wellington's Carlos Al-Garcia - a rugged, handsome bear in the wild: Love Your Condom (LYC) Marketing Manager Joe Rich says the ads are “deliberately sexy” while staying true to LYC’s “playful personality”. “We wanted to build on what is already a very successful HIV prevention programme by encouraging gay and bi men to take it to the next level and join an inclusive movement that celebrates great sex with condoms,” he says. “The feedback from the community has been encouraging as always; people feel that having the ‘Love Your Condom’ message in such a range of prominent mediums is a good thing and adds strength to what is a really important message.” Rich says there is also more to come. “The LYC movement is one that will make our gay and bi men’s community a safer place to play and we encourage everyone to be a part of that.” LYC was launched in 2009 and aims to build a condom culture among gay and bisexual men in New Zealand, by celebrating great sex with condoms. In New Zealand HIV infections among gay and bi men have stabilised. This compares with an increase in most other western countries, including the US, UK and Australia.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 7th November 2014 - 12:19pm