vip in the city

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Happy Valentines Day from the NYC Department of Health!

New York has been distributing free condoms since the 1970s, but last year the city revitalized its public health campaign by coming out with a distinct New York City-branded condom. Prior to the wrapper redesign, the city typically gave away 1.5 million condoms a month; in 2007, they doubled that number, doling out over 36 million LifeStyles condoms — a tribute to the lure of snazzy packaging.

This year, in addition to yet another new design, there’s also a new slogan — “Get some” — and a new media campaign by Yves Behar (founder of San Francisco-based Fuseproject) featuring web banners, posters plastered throughout the subway system, and television and radio spots in English and Spanish. In a classic screw-up, one of the print ads (.pdf) prominently features a not-very New York landmark: Toronto’s Gooderham Building, a.k.a. the “Flatiron Building” not located on 23rd Street between Broadway and Fifth. Is it not bad enough that the Canadian city so regularly stands in for New York on film and television?

To coincide with Valentines Day, street teams dispatched by the Department of Health were handing out free NYC condoms at hubs around the city. I met this cheerful volunteer at Wall Street and Broadway, where she had no difficulty whatsoever finding takers for her ample supply.

If you missed out, new round dispensers have been installed in 200 city venues, and are available through some 900 local businesses, clinics, and non-profit organizations throughout the five boroughs.

Tags: condoms, Department of Health

There are 3 Comments ... Say it with…

hyb
February 26, 2008

eww… what kind of hair is that?

vipnyc
February 26, 2008

Ick, I know — sorry. I only noticed the strand after I uploaded the photo, and by then I’d given away the supply, so…

H20Buffalo
February 26, 2008

http://www.shibuecouture.com/cgi/store/commerce.cgi

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