Ads

Now most of you know I'm a keen observer of human activity and nature. I like to watch and remember everything I see about people. One of the best ways to observe the way people interact is through advertisements. I was traveling on the London Underground the other day when I came across the following ad.



I'm a bit puzzled by the ad. I understand the message of it, but I can't quite see why the THT (Terrance Higgins Trust) would use a man's naked, muscled torso to sell their message.

The only reason I stopped to look at the ad was because right in front of me was a rather beautiful man's body! What more could a gay man ask for but gratuitous naked men in media? Yet, I can't help but wonder if the message is lost because of the photo in the ad.

Straight men I ask you, if you were to see a woman in near all her glory on a poster that is geared to get you to think about STDs (STIs in the UK) would you notice the text of the ad or would you just see the woman's flesh? Yeah, I thought so. Same thing with this ad geared towards, in my humble opinion, gay men. Men are men, gay or straight. Yes, what a powerfully obvious statement, right? Well think about it, a straight man looks at a beautiful woman who is willing to show her flesh regardless of what is happening around them. The same is true of gay men looking at, dare I say it, sexy men who are willing to show off their flesh.

I'm a fan of THT. They do a tremendous job in helping prevent STDs and HIV, in addition to aiding those who are afflicted by HIV or other STDs. Still, I can't help but wonder who authorized this ad to be published? Did they stop the think about human nature? Did they think that anyone would stop to read it (that is, other than me) after their attention was drawn to the oversized photo of a man's muscled torso? I don't think they did. The average commuter traveling on the tube is not going to stop and ponder the implications of an ad that shows a man or woman's torso on a poster are they? They're too busy with their busy lives, rushing to and fro. They may notice the ad and lust after the body they see, either wish they could have the person portrayed in the ad, or that they could look like the person in the ad, but that's the extent of it for the average commuter.

What do you think the ideal ad would be for this most sensitive of issues? How would you catch the eye, and the mind of someone who is walking by? While you think of the answer, here are two more ads/signs you might enjoy.

This ad was posted at the same tube station in London as the THT ad.



This is from a store in Walnut Creek. It's still fucking hilarious.



Ok, now that you've had time to form your ad, let me know what you would say to get people's attention and spread the message that THT is trying to express and get people to internalize. I'll post your ads.