PRNewswire - December 6, 2005

-- AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Nation's Largest AIDS Group, to Oversee the Campaign Which is Backed by LA County's Office of AIDS Programs & Policies (OAPP)

what: PRESS CONFERENCE

"HIV -- Not Fabulous" HIV Prevention Social Marketing Campaign

when: Tuesday, December 6th 10:00am

where: AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Administrative Headquarters

6255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 2100, Hollywood 90028 (cross street: Argyle)

who: Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Karen Mall, AIDS Healthcare Foundation Director of Prevention

Les Pappas, President & CEO, Better World Advertising

Ramon Leon, Regional Manager, AHF Prevention Programs (Spanish language)

And a Spokesperson/Model from the "HIV -- Not Fabulous" Prevention Ad Campaign

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the nation's largest AIDS organization, will host a press conference Tuesday, December 6th, 2005 at 10:00am at its administrative headquarters (6255 Sunset Blvd., Suite 2100, Hollywood CA 90028) to unveil "HIV -- Not Fabulous," a frank new social marketing campaign on HIV prevention that urges HIV negative gay men throughout Los Angeles to "Stay Negative." The CDC-funded, three-year advertising campaign uses real people living with HIV/AIDS, and through simple and powerful photographs, highlights certain physical ailments -- diarrhea, wasting syndrome, lipodystrophy [irregular body fat distribution] -- that have become a day-to-day reality for many of those living with the disease.

The "HIV -- Not Fabulous" social marketing campaign is being produced and managed by AIDS Healthcare Foundation and created by San Francisco-based Better World Advertising, which has worked together with AHF and Los Angeles County in the past on the highly effective "Stop the Sores" anti-syphilis campaign. Los Angeles County's Office of AIDS Programs & Policies (OAPP) is underwriting this new, edgy social marketing HIV prevention campaign with a portion of its federal AIDS funding.

"In their advertising targeting gay men, most drug companies portray living with HIV/AIDS to be as simple as popping a pill and then it's a day at the beach," said Karen Mall, AHF's Director of Prevention. "While we are grateful these medications have enabled those already living with HIV/AIDS to live longer and healthier lives, we believe it's important that people see and hear the full story. There is more to living with HIV than a day at the beach: many people have physical, mental, financial and/or social hardships as a result of their illness. The 'HIV -- Not Fabulous' prevention campaign is a deliberate effort to encourage an oftentimes high-risk population of gay men to protect themselves and stay negative."

"Two weeks ago, the CDC announced that HIV incidence among gay men nationwide increased by eight percent in 2004," said Michael Weinstein, AHF President. "Almost twenty-five years into the epidemic and despite years of prevention messages targeting gay men, our collective HIV prevention efforts and messages are simply not getting through. This 'HIV -- Not Fabulous' campaign is an unconventional approach with a very straightforward message -- 'Stay Negative' -- that we believe will break through and reach its intended audience."

"There's a very basic message here, and it's about the reality of HIV: Getting HIV is bad. It makes you sick. It may kill you," said Les Pappas, President and CEO of Better World Advertising. "Staying HIV negative is good. Avoiding HIV and staying healthy is not hard to do and anyone who has HIV will tell you it's well worth the effort."

AHF, which also operates the largest, community-based, alternative HIV testing program in California conducting more that 15,000 tests annually, will coordinate the social marketing campaign of the unconventional "HIV -- Not Fabulous" prevention campaign in greater Los Angeles in cooperation with the Los Angeles County's Office of AIDS Programs & Policies (OAPP). The social marketing campaign, created by San Francisco-based Better World Advertising, will features print ads, posters and billboards and a website, http://www.staynegative.org.

SOURCE AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Web Site: http://www.staynegative.org

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