Grim Reaper (advertisement)

Grim Reaper
A screenshot from the commercial depicting the Grim Reaper
AgencyGrey Advertising[1]
ClientNational Advisory Committee on AIDS (NACAIDS)
Release date(s)5 April 1987
Produced bySimon Reynolds
CountryAustralia Australia
Budget$300,000

The Grim Reaper is a 1987 Australian television commercial aimed at raising public awareness on the dangers of AIDS. Created as part of a $3 million[2] education campaign by the National Advisory Committee on AIDS (NACAIDS), the advertisement depicted the Grim Reaper ten-pin bowling in a bowling alley and knocking over men, women, and child "pins" which represented AIDS victims. The commercial was created by Siimon Reynolds and narrated by voice-over artist John Stanton,[3] and was first screened on 5 April 1987.[4] The ad was also supplemented by printed material which explained the disease and detailed preventative measures.[1]

The commercial caused immediate controversy due to its confronting tone and imagery, and the Grim Reaper figure in the ad became unintentionally identified with gay men, provoking fear towards the LGBT community.[5][6] It aired for only three weeks out of an intended six week run, cut short due to media criticism and public outcry.[1][7][8] Nevertheless, the commercial was regarded as highly successful in raising awareness with the Australian public about the issue, with a 327% increase of calls to AIDS related hotlines during the first month of the campaign compared to the 7 months before.[1][9]

In Australia, the Grim Reaper commercial has remained a memorable example of a confronting but effective government public service campaign decades since its original airing, and continues to inspire subsequent government public service advertising campaigns.[8][10][1] It has been recognised as a landmark public health initiative.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "The AIDS Grim Reaper Campaign (A) - ANZSOG". The Australia and New Zealand School of Government. 2006. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  2. ^ "Aids Photo Library: Grim Reaper". Avert. Archived from the original on 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  3. ^ "New 'Grim Reaper' ad targets gay Aussies". Gay NZ. 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  4. ^ "The Grim Reaper from AIDS ads". ABC. 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  5. ^ "Pioneer Regrets "Grim Reaper" Demonization of Gay Men". The Body. 2002-10-03. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference abccovid was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference 9news was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CanberraTimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Morlet, A.; Guinan, J. J.; Diefenthaler, I.; Gold, J. (21 March 1988). "The impact of the "grim reaper" national AIDS educational campaign on the Albion Street (AIDS) Centre and the AIDS Hotline". The Medical Journal of Australia. 148 (6): 282–286. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1988.tb117836.x. ISSN 0025-729X. PMID 3347182. S2CID 10337052. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  10. ^ "The Grim Reaper died in the 80s – time for a new approach to HIV prevention". The Conversation. 2012-08-30. Retrieved 2021-12-06.