New York State Bus Company Advertising Agency Rejects Ad Naming Sexually Transmitted Diseases
The advertising agency for New York state bus company Centro has rejected a public health ad that lists eight sexually transmitted diseases because the list "might upset ... some bus riders," the Syracuse Post Standard reports. The proposed ad read, "After a night of unprotected sex, you might not go home alone," followed by a list of eight STDs, including syphilis, genital herpes, HIV, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B and human papillomavirus. The ad, created by CNY HIV Care Network, also urged viewers to call the AIDS Community Resources toll-free hotline for additional information. Arnie Rothschild, president of Normal Communications, Centro's ad agency, on Monday said that while the overall message of the ad was acceptable, the agency would not run the ad unless the list of diseases was removed. "I said there are people who have relatives with these diseases. They might get upset. Is it really a necessary part of the ad?" Rothschild said. Stephen Waldron, coordinator of the network, said that his agency was unwilling to make such changes. Waldron said that while a message about STDs may offend some bus riders, "there was nothing graphically provocative about our ad." The $5,100 advertising campaign, which was being paid for with a state Department of Health grant, would have included placard ads in 57 buses in Syracuse, seven in Oswego and six in Auburn as well as at five bus shelters (McAndrew, Syracuse Post-Standard, 3/18).
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