Cloak Thy Tally Wacker condom packet

This condom packet was produced by the New Zealand AIDS Foundation in its campaign against rising rates of syphilis. Its key message is that ‘Syphilis is back from the Dark Ages: Get Tested Today’.

Syphilis is usually transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person, and can also be spread from an infected mother to their baby during pregnancy. Syphilis rates have been increasing in New Zealand since 2012, particularly in men who have sex with men (MSM). Syphilis rates in heterosexual men and women have also been increasing.

The New Zealand AIDS Foundation partnered with Durex and advertising company FCB to blend contemporary hook-up lines with Shakespearean-styled language, such as seen on this packet: ‘Cloak thy tally wacker’.

The look of the image was achieved in collaboration with the Pop-up Globe Theatre and stylist Lucy Jane Senior.

Though clever in its layering, the campaign may have been too obscure and ‘busy’ to have made the desired impact.

References:

Syphilis | Ministry of Health NZ
Syphilis is back and better than ever warns FCB - stoppress.co.nz