Consider this spot a humorous, sometimes earthy, tongue-in-cheek thesaurus of terms men have for their genitals. But rather than crude, this piece has a playful tone advancing what turns out to be a surprisingly worthwhile message.
In the style of man-in-the-street interviews, we see one guy after the next in rapid-fire succession describe the pet name he has for his private part.
"Captain Howdy," says one.
"Action Jackson," responds another.
The list is imaginatively funny, irreverent and immodest: "The Bold Avenger." "Admiral Winky." "Senor Fantastica." "Slim Jim and The Twins." "My Little Prince." "Third Leg." "Mister Wigley." "Skippy." "Kickstand." "Salty Sausage." "Chief Justice Weatherbee." "Huge."
Putting this list of offbeat synonyms into rather significant context is a super that reads, "Whatever you call it, thanks for keeping it safe."
We then see a condom packet with the AIDS Vancouver logo on it, accompanied by a Web site address, GayMenPlaySafe.com.
The sponsors of this message are then identified as AIDS Vancouver (B.C.) and a national advisory team of partner organizations working in HIV and AIDS prevention and education.
Titled "Admiral Winky," the spot is currently running in Canada. The concept came from a team at Vancouver agency Rethink, which is aptly named, providing in this case a rethink of how to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention and acknowledge that a growing segment of the population is thankfully choosing to act responsibly. While humor can be risky for such a serious message, in this case it gains the attention of viewers, engaging them in a different, unexpected way.
Lena Beug of Toronto production house Reginald Pike directed the spot for Rethink. James Davis and Josefina Nadurata executive produced for Reginald Pike, with Jennifer Walker serving as producer. The DP was John Houtman.
The creative ensemble at Rethink consisted of creative directors Ian Grais and Chris Staples, art director Tony Hird, writer/associate creative director Katie Ainsworth, and producer Laura Rioux.
Alan Bartolic, a Vancouver-based freelancer, edited the spot. Online editor was Rob Doucet of Cycle Media, Vancouver. Colorist was Gary Shaw of Technicolor, Vancouver.Audio post mixer was Colin Weinmaster of Wave Productions, Vancouver.
Wave Productions' Brandon Edwards and Bob Smart served as sound designer and music composer, respectively.
In addition to the spot, which is also gaining play on the Web, the campaign includes billboards, posters and print ads. The ad package was funded largely by a grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada, which supports national HIV-prevention campaigns targeting gay males.
Rethink has a track record of making an impact on this issue. Several years ago the agency was behind the noted "Arouse" campaign that used the tagline "Condom or Cocktail?" to address the then rising rate of infection among young gay men.
The principal actors were Donald Sales, Andre Taillon, Ryan Steel, Casey Manderson, Urosh Certic, Darcy Michael, Bryce Martel, Leo Chiang, Heath Whitelock, Andy Canete, Marty Gage, Steven Bidwell, Shafin Karmin, Graham Hoye and Taylor Miller.
