Man behind 'Grim Reaper' AIDS campaign says shock ad needed for Covid vaccine

Man behind 'Grim Reaper' AIDS campaign says shock ad needed for Covid vaccine
Man behind 'Grim Reaper' AIDS campaign says shock ad needed for Covid vaccine

A man behind the 1980s 'Grim Reaper' AIDS campaign has called for a similar approach to 'shock' those hesitant to get the vaccine into getting the jab.

Simon Reynolds created the famous 1987 ad warning Australians about the grave dangers of HIV and AIDS.

Mr Reynolds co-founded Photon Group - now known as Enero - the agency behind the Morrison Government's vaccine rollout campaign.

He said it was 'crazy' the government hadn't drilled in to Australians the importance and urgency of getting vaccinated against Covid.

Mr Reynolds said Australians needed to be scared into getting the vaccine as soon as possible rather than waiting.

Simon Reynolds said it's 'crazy' the government hasn't drilled in to Australians the importance and urgency of getting vaccinated against Covid

Simon Reynolds said it's 'crazy' the government hasn't drilled in to Australians the importance and urgency of getting vaccinated against Covid

'I would definitely do – maybe not the Grim Reaper – but I would definitely do a hardcore version to wake people up that this thing could easily be around for another year, could be around for another two,' he told Mumbrella

Mr Reynolds said the government's Covid rollout campaign hasn't been successful as it failed to inform and persuade.

'The problem with the government advertising now, it that it's only informing. It's only making statements. It's not tugging the heart in any way,' he said.

It's not affecting us emotionally. It's not particularly persuading in any way other than someone reading off an autocue.'

Mr Reynolds said like with AIDS in the 1980s, many Australians don't know anyone who had Covid, causing complacency.

'How many people actually know someone who's got COVID in Australia? Not many. As a result of that, everybody's just not believing that it's going to be particularly a problem for them,' he said.

Simon Reynolds, creator of the 1987 'Grim Reaper' commercial about the dangers of AIDS, says the federal government needs to adopt similar tactics to raise awareness of how to combat coronavirus

Simon Reynolds, creator of the 1987 'Grim Reaper' commercial about the dangers of AIDS, says the federal government needs to adopt similar tactics to raise awareness of how to combat coronavirus

In the Grim Reaper AIDS awareness television commercial men, women, and children were portrayed as human pins lined up to be struck down by a giant bowling ball

In the Grim Reaper AIDS awareness television commercial men, women, and children were portrayed as human pins lined up to be struck down by a giant bowling ball

Mr Reynolds called for similar shock ads for Covid in Australia in the early days of the pandemic in March last year.

As he does now, he believed Australians were not taking the pandemic seriously enough and needed a blunt message.

'You have to be blunt, simple and dramatic if you want to change Australians' minds and hearts about Covid-19,' Mr Reynolds told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

'We must hammer home the key messages again and again, and paid media advertising is the most effective way of doing that.

'There should be a major ad campaign in digital media, online, newspapers, radio and TV - every single day.'

Most of the official information the Australian public is receiving about coronavirus comes from long, sometimes confusing press conferences staged by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the leaders of states and territories.

A row of Grim Reapers lines up along bowling alleys ready to kill AIDS victims with giant balls. In the Simon Reynolds TV commercial men, women and children were killed indiscriminately

A row of Grim Reapers lines up along bowling alleys ready to kill AIDS victims with giant balls. In the Simon Reynolds TV commercial men, women and children were killed indiscriminately

Lifeless bodies are strewn over a bowling alley after being knocked down by the Grim Reaper in the controversial television commercial created by Simon Reynolds

Lifeless bodies are strewn over a bowling alley after being knocked down by the Grim Reaper in the controversial television commercial created by Simon Reynolds

This has not changed in the past 15 months and the messages are not being heard or are being ignored by large segments of the community.

'The only way a whole country can get the message is through short, sharp ads,' Mr Reynolds said. 'Not long press conferences and press releases.'

'Many people, particularly younger Australians, are not even seeing the government press announcements. It's not enough.

'They need to be woken up with a slap in the face that only powerful advertising can do.' 

Mr Reynolds has previously admitted his AIDS campaign, which was shot for just $300,000 and 'broke a lot of rules', was controversial but said it succeeded. 

He likened the current awareness of coronavirus to that of HIV in the mid-1980s, when there was a perception the only people vulnerable to that virus were gay men and intravenous drug users.

'It is similar to the original AIDS situation because a section of the population are not taking coronavirus seriously, and others aren't sure how to protect themselves from it,' he said. 

'At first, only gays and IV drug users were being killed by AIDS,' said actor John Stanton in the Grim Reaper commercial. 'But now we know every one of us could be devastated by it'

'At first, only gays and IV drug users were being killed by AIDS,' said actor John Stanton in the Grim Reaper commercial. 'But now we know every one of us could be devastated by it' 

Simon Reynolds (pictured with TV host Kathryn Eisman in 2017) created the famous 1987 advert warning Australians about the grave dangers of HIV and AIDS

Simon Reynolds (pictured with TV host Kathryn Eisman in 2017) created the famous 1987 advert warning Australians about the grave dangers of HIV and AIDS

Mr Reynolds said it was vital the community

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