Meet Smutley the Cat, a sex-crazed cartoon feline that humps just about everything in sight. If an animal has a pulse, Smutley will have sex with it and totally ignore using protection. It doesn’t even look like Smutley asks for consent most of the time, but somehow he roams the streets free from police.
Of course, Smutley is fictional, and unsafe sex is exactly what this spot from AIDES, the French association tackling HIV and AIDS, and the creative folks at Goodby are trying to fight against. Goodby partnered with multiple illustrators and animators for the above online spot, which definitely would not fly on U.S. broadcast television. This isn’t the first time AIDES used a somewhat shocking campaign. If you recall, just last year, AIDES and TBWA Paris released a spot titled “Graffiti” which featured a cartoon penis chasing around bathroom stall sketches of women and vaginas. Truly, Europe’s sense of sexual humor is bit different than what we consider appropriate for PSAs here in the States.
AIDES’ YouTube page states that the organization’s challenge with the spot was to “de-dramatize the somewhat embarrassing, if not plain awkward, moment when ‘rubber protection’ needs to be discussed.” Well, perverted anthropomorphic cartoons cats everywhere may have found their calling and a use for their nine lives. Credits after the jump…
Executive Creative Director: Erik Vervroegen
Art Director: Andre Massis
Copywriter: Eric Boyd
Producer: Jon Drawbaugh
Music Supervisor: Todd Porter
Director: Against all Odds
Production Company: Passion Pictures
Producer: Julie Murnaghan
Executive Producer: Michael Adamo
Music: Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” courtesy of Joan Jett and Blackheart Records Group
Sound Design: Henryboy
Sound Designer: Bill Chesley
Executive Producer: Kate Gibson
Final Mix: One Union Recording Studios
Audio Engineer: Eben Carr
Exec. Producer: Lauren Mask
Motion Graphics and Sound Editing:
eLevel : a division of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Creative Director Motion Graphics: Roger Guillen
Post Producer: John Dutton
Exec. Producer Post/Motion: Tim Pries
Audio Engineer: Shannon Botts
Audio Engineer: Jody Scott
Exec. Producer Audio: Luke Dillon