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Come
Clean
An
Irvine Welsh screenplay, five short films, humorous TV ads and a
funky poster campaign. These are the ingredients of Come
Clean, 91Èȱ¬ Wales' multimedia campaign, which this year
aims to raise awareness about sexually transmitted infections.
The
campaign, supported by the Welsh Assembly Government, was launched
on Thursday 20 March at the Cardiff Students Union. Menna Richards,
Controller of 91Èȱ¬ Wales, and Jane Hutt, Minister for Health and
Social Services, were present at the launch and both welcomed the
initiative.
Menna
Richards said: "I am extremely proud of this campaign as it
enables 91Èȱ¬ Wales to do what it does best - using our creative expertise
to work in collaboration with other agencies and organisations.
I'd like to thank the Welsh Assembly for their invaluable support
in making this a successful campaign."
Jane
Hutt said: "Just over a year ago, the Assembly Government launched
an on-going sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention campaign
which is being taken forward through advertising in the toilets
of pubs and clubs, and universities and colleges. It uses very much
the same direct and humorous style as the Come Clean campaign, and
has achieved considerable success in raising awareness.
"To
communicate effectively the messages need to have resonance and
be credible with today's young adults, including their use of language
and humour. The Come Clean campaign is bold and bright and adopts
a sex-positive approach rather than doom and gloom. Humour is used
to raise awareness of STIs, help de-stigmatise them, and encourage
use of condoms."
The
TV ads and poster campaign is a complete departure from the scaremongering,
didactic campaigning of the past, using samba music and scantily
dressed young people dancing to the music to get the message of
safe sex to the target audience.
"What
we're aiming to do is appeal to the regular punter," said 91Èȱ¬
Wales promotions director Dylan Griffith, who was also behind last
year's BLLCKS campaign with the Stereophonics' Stuart Cable.
"The
ads are striking and funny. The 'laugh factor' from some early road
testing has been promising. Basically it's people dancing in their
pants - and people generally find that funny.
"It's
not our job in the 91Èȱ¬ to preach – what we try to do is to
connect with the target audience, in this case 18-25 year olds,
and to float an idea or message their way. The ads and posters also
have that 'talkability' factor. I hope that people remember the
ads and more importantly remember the underlying message."
The
message simply is to wear a condom. In the past five years cases
of chlamydia and gonorrhea have doubled in Wales and with genital
warts and herpes they form the most common sexually transmitted
infections in Wales.
They
are all infections that are passed on during sexual contact so wearing
a condom dramatically reduces the risk of catching any of these
diseases.
More
HIV infections were diagnosed in 2001 than ever before in Britain
and the simple act of wearing a condom protects against this infection
as well.
The
91Èȱ¬ Wales' TV campaign includes a bold new drama by Irvine Welsh
and five short films screened daily during the social action week
itself:
Dose
(Tuesday 25 March, 91Èȱ¬ ONE Wales) was specially commissioned for
the campaign from one of Britain's best contemporary writers, Irvine
Welsh, making his television debut.
Best
known for the controversial Trainspotting, Glue and Filth, Welsh
accepted the commission for the 30-minute screenplay from producer
Peter Watkins-Hughes. It's written with Welsh's writing partner
Dean Cavanagh, as a vehicle for his friend and Dose star Lewis Owen.
"It's
something that I feel is very important," Welsh says of the
campaign. "There are so many myths about STIs - a bit like
with drugs - and I think that information or scare stuff in a posh
accent doesn't work. Drama is a good way of getting a message across
as people get sucked into the characters' lives instead of being
preached at or spooked by somebody whom they obviously can't believe
in."
Dose
tells the story of Antony Williams, a successful businessman married
to frosty wife Rhiannon - played by Lewis' real-life partner Kate
Jarman - religion and the laminate flooring he very successfully
sells. But despite Antony's upright and sensible exterior, he has
a wild side, seeking adventurous sex with as many partners as possible.
Until, that is, he gets a dose of gonorrhea, from a quite unexpected
source.
The
comedy is irreverent, dark and hilariously funny.
"It's
what goes on behind the twitching curtains and he pulls the curtains
right open," laughs Owen, from Merthyr Tydfil.
"I loved
playing Antony, but I am a lot more conservative than he is. I admire
his bravery - I'd be worried about a mad axeman husband turning
up on my door if I got up to all that.
"Because
Irvine is a close personal friend I imagine he had a wry smile on
his face when he was writing this for me, he wanted it to be a bit
cheeky. There isn't a better person in Europe to write for that
age group and make them listen," he says.
Five
short films will also be broadcast next week, all produced by 91Èȱ¬
Wales.
Lying
In Your Bed (Sunday 23 March, 91Èȱ¬ TWO Wales), in which
Darryl talks to his bathroom mirror, pondering the one-night stand
he has just had.
Daisy
Chain (Monday 24 March, 91Èȱ¬ ONE Wales), where Daisy makes
a little too much effort to find new friends.
GSOH
(Tuesday 25 March, 91Èȱ¬ ONE Wales), finds an awkward date going horribly
wrong for two hopeful singletons
The
Clinic (Wednesday 26 March, 91Èȱ¬ ONE Wales), an animated
look inside the inner workings of Wales' largest sexual health clinic
The
Shaft Chambers Story (Friday 28 March, 91Èȱ¬ ONE Wales),
a spoof animated documentary charting the rise and fall of a Welsh
porn star.
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