Paris AIDS Prevention Campaign Uses Colorful Drawings of Condoms To Depict Historical Landmarks
A Paris AIDS prevention campaign, which uses colorful drawings of condoms to depict the city's historical landmarks, aims to "remind people to celebrate its romantic neighborhoods romantically but also safely," the New York Times reports. The city of Paris has two AIDS-related deaths each day, and France has approximately 120,000 HIV-positive people, half of them in Paris, according to the office of Mayor Bertrand Delanoe. "Paris is the city of pleasure, fashion and light; it shouldn't be the capital of AIDS," Olivier Henry, an advertising executive with Paris-based agency Lowe Alice, said, adding, "But it is." Henry and his partner Caroline Nammour conceived of the 13 images, which appear on posters on the city's 1,300 municipal kiosks and on more than 100,000 free postcards. The effort, which was spearheaded by the mayor's office this year and includes the distribution of 500,000 free condoms, is called "Paris Plaisirs, Paris Capotes," or "Paris Pleasures, Paris Rubbers." According to the Times, "The wedding of prophylactics and historical landmarks has delighted both Parisians and the capital's millions of tourists so much that the mayor's office has received many requests for copies of them" (Rose, New York Times, 7/31). Images of some of the posters are available online. Note: The Web site is in French.
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