Grim Reaper HIV TV ad creator calls for similar campaign to shock young music festival drug users

The mastermind behind Australia’s powerful Grim Reaper HIV awareness campaign in the 1980s says a similar campaign is needed to drive home the dangers of party drugs.

Grim Reaper Anti Aids TV Ad

The mastermind behind Australia’s powerful Grim Reaper HIV awareness campaign wants the same message sent to teenagers who use drugs.

Advertising guru Siimon Reynolds — who created the confronting adverts in 1987 — said the government needed to dispel myths about safe drug use through a campaign which is equally as confronting.

“There are quite a few parallels between the HIV issue and the MDMA issue because back then people did not know they were in danger of getting AIDS and today people do not realise the dangers of MDMA,” he said.

“Through ignorance, ecstasy has such a reputation as a friendly dug. The key is not just doing the shock aspect by itself. The AIDS campaign worked because we also used newspapers to put out the correct information and then made the shocking and emotive case through broadcast media.”

Siimon Reynolds created the Grim Reaper anti HIV/AIDS campaign in the 1980s. Picture: Supplied

Mr Reynolds, who now lives in Hollywood and spends his time coaching CEOs, said with the $300,000 budget he was given to create the Grim Reaper Ads, an agency could be far more effective today.

“One of the critical ingredients is to meld the shock with creativity because if it is just shock it is easy for people to turn away or change the channel,” he said.

“If it is visually magnetic and hypnotic the brain cannot look away and then the message sinks in.”

He also suggested getting famous DJs involved in campaigns so that festive goers were getting the message from those they idolised.

“Having authority figures telling them not to do drugs won’t work because they will want to rebel against society,” he said The most effective thing I can imagine is getting DJ’s who they worship to send the message.”

The campaign highlighted the fact that HIV didn’t discriminate and everyone was at risk. Source: YouTube

Australia has a history of tackling widespread societal issues with powerful advertising.

Cancer Council spokesman Paul Grogan said the disturbing and provocative graphics placed on the side of cigarette packages in 2006 played a significant role in dropping smoking rates

Nearly half the population smokes in the 1960s and that figure has shrunk to just 12.5 per cent.

“Graphic warnings were one of the most fantastic measures because they were a constant reminder and behavioural messaging is most potent when it is a stark warning,” he said.

“(The graphics) went on to be even more effective than we could have hoped.

“It was so damaging to cigarette companies tried to sell sleeves to hide the warnings but the inconvenience of that made more people quit.”

The Don’t Be A Tosser anti-littering campaign by the NSW Government. Source: YouTube

He said another “critical culture changes” was the Slip Slop Slap campaign and the 2008 melanoma ads which broadcast a graphic melanoma removal operation.

The adverts generated a $7 dollar benefit to the economy for every dollar spent.

“There was the perception that it was this benign operation but in reality it is extremely graphic,” he said.

The Slip Slop Slap skin cancer campaign had a catchy jingle and a character with a speech impediment. Source: YouTube

Three Wise Men managing partner Randal Glennon, who created the Victorian Government’s safe driving adverts, said it was important to show just how horrific reality could be.

“Our goal was to tell the truth and show the reality rather simply shock people,” he said.

“Very few human beings saw that reality of the crashes and what we wanted to do was bring it into the living room.

“We could do that with young people and bring the raw emotion of seeing a friend die from drugs directly to them with a campaign.”