Top Advertising Agencies Launch Global AIDS Education Campaign

NEW YORK, June 21: Seven of the world’s top advertising
agencies have announced a plan to mark the 25th anniversary of the
first AIDS diagnosis by releasing a series of non-profit spots to be aired on
December 1, World AIDS Day.

Cake, Grey, JWT, Lowe Worldwide,
Ogilvy, Wieden + Kennedy 12 and Y&R will each create their own ad, designed
to target an issue that has contributed to the spread of the disease. Among
those cited are unsafe sex, stigma and gender equality. The ads will be offered
free-of-charge to TV stations, websites and mobile content providers.

The move was designed as part of the Global Media AIDS
Initiative (GMAI). Conceived by the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS, the
initiative was launched by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2004 as an
attempt to educate global citizens on the disease that has claimed some 25
million lives across the globe. Since the program’s inception, 139 media companies
in 69 countries have produced or aired such ads.

MTV Networks is among those on board, offering the spots on
its 50 channels worldwide, reaching a combined potential audience of some 1.3
billion people, as well as on its websites and broadband services. “Until there
is a vaccination, our most powerful weapon for prevention is education,” said
MTV Networks’ vice chairman, Bill Roedy. “Media has a critical role in this
fight and must do more.”