The Advertising Standards Board has responded to complaints made against an advertising campaign that aims to encourage people (in particular, men) to get tested for sexually transmitted infections.
The Drama Downunder campaign is a resource and awareness-raising initiative to encourage same sex attracted men to educate themselves about STIs and have frequent tests.
The website includes information about the most common sexually transmitted infections experienced by gay men, as well as a list of clinics across the country that offer confidential STI checks. Visitors to the website can also sign up for email or SMS reminders to get tested.
A series of image-based advertisements have been released directing people to the campaign website. According to the case report released by the Advertising Standards Board, two have been the subject of complaint: one featuring a man in his underwear with a cat on his chest alongside the slogan “Don’t be a Scaredy Cat! Testing for syphilis: No Drama” (see above: right) and another featuring the same man with a dog on his chest with the copy “Go fetch! Testing is easy. Get tested, get treated, no drama!”
A complainant had written to the board expressing concern of the advertisement’s proximity to a school, requesting that it be removed.
