A few weeks ago on World AIDS Day, we covered some of the funniest HIV commercials on HIV stigma. And, while I was doing my research on those adverts, I couldn’t help but wonder how funny some of those ads were despite the serious issues that they were meant to tackle i.e., HIV stigma and unprotected sex. So, while we have already covered the ads that sought to counter HIV stigma, let’s dive into some of the funniest HIV ads on unprotected sex in another segment of #FunnyFridays.
So, brace yourself for the 5 funniest HIV adverts that took digs at unprotected sex in the most unusual ways.
1. AIDS Healthcare Foundation: Get Tested
In case you thought the power of compounding applied only to getting good returns on different financial schemes, this 45-second advert by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation will make you think twice.
The ad shows a guy saying that he didn’t have to get tested for HIV as he had only had sex with three people. As it turns out, those three women had been physically involved with more men, who had in turn slept with more people. I almost burst into laughter when the guy calls one of his sexual partners, who had slept with nine guys, a “little slut”😂
Oops, I think that’s going to trigger quite a few feminists. Well, I think the woman in question should get herself tested too; just to be on the safe side🤷
2. Maricopa County Public Health: Hidden History
This one is pretty similar to the previous advert except that while the guy in the previous ad had already been on quite a few merry rides before, the guy in this commercial seems to be eagerly waiting for his next adventure.
This 30-second ad shows a man turning up at a woman’s place with his entire sexual history in person, quite literally. When the woman asks if any of them has had STD before, the man straightaway says no. However, when someone from his “sexual history” admits to having an STD, the woman gets everyone tested for the same.
Imagine being asked to bring along everyone from your “sexual history” to your next date, pfft!
3. United States Department of Health and Human Services: Get High, Get Stupid, Get AIDS
United States Department of Health and Human Services came up with a hilarious advert in collaboration with the National Institute on Drug Abuse to shed light on how drug abuse can lead you to have some very uncomfortable experiences.
But while one can always shrug off bad memories and experiences, the worst of these could be getting AIDS. Now that’s something very difficult to run away from. The ad shows two people waking up and recollecting the events of the previous night, which led them to hook up with each other and face the threat of contracting HIV. The ad ends with the two realizing that, unlike the rest of us, they were only cartoons.
Touché!
4. AIDES: Get Dressed
Did you know that men’s IQ decreases as they get undressed? Of course, you knew. I mean who doesn’t😂
This 90-second spot by the French community-based non-profit organization AIDES puts up a claim, which sounds as real as day if you were to ask me, that a man’s IQ decreases as they start to undress. The ad then showcases men in different scenarios where they lose their shit as soon as they take off any of their clothes. From a pilot making lewd passes at an air hostess immediately after removing his blazer upon entering the plane to a guy dashing into a food vending machine to impress two girls, men are shown engaging in the most idiotic acts as soon as their clothes come off.
But the most stupid of these is having unprotected sex. While you can surely lambast the ad for putting the onus of using condoms on women, didn’t it already say that guys lose their minds as soon as their undies come off?
5. AIDES: Ku Klux Klan Ad
And here’s another hilarious commercial from the French community-based non-profit organization AIDES.
This 45-second spot shows a black man making love to a white woman in the woods. As they embark upon their quest to douse their carnal flame in each other’s embrace, they roll down only to find the members of the notorious Ku Klux Klan all around them. The ad ends with the message that this should be the last of your worries if you are having unprotected sex.
Seriously, there is a greater chance of HIV getting hold of you than the members of the Ku Klux Klan in case you’re having sex without a condom.
Wrapping Up
And that’s a wrap of another #FunnyFridays segment. Convincing people to do the right thing through adverts can be a hard nut to crack. Try infusing some humor in your marketing campaign, that might just do the trick.
We’ll be back with more amazing commercials for you. Till then, stay tuned!