February 14, 2008
DOH! NYC Condom Ad Uses Toronto Landmark
The new NYC Condom campaign carries a secret Canadian tourism message: One of the ads features Toronto's Flatiron Building. Darn those confusing stock image searches using "Flatiron Building"!
Toronto’s Gooderham Building (photo at right) makes an appearance in the ad entitled “The Village” (image below, highlighted on the right). This landmark Toronto building, often called the “Flatiron Building” by those in the Greater Toronto Area, predates Manhattan’s (properly known as the Fuller Building) by ten years being completed in 1892. It also can be seen in many films when Toronto is filling in for New York.
A spokesperson at the Health Department said, “It is a make believe cityscape that represents the vivid atmosphere of the city." Note: The Brooklyn ad has the real Brooklyn Bridge, not, say, the Golden Gate Bridge. To be fair, the building does look somewhat like a building you would find in Greenwich Village (though perhaps the Jefferson Market Library would have been more apropos).
The designer and his publicist were contacted for comment; stay tuned for an update.
NYC Condom ad - "The Village" with the Gooderham Building highlighted.
As we mentioned yesterday, if you want to get your hands on the condoms, street teams will be handing out these condoms today, you can pick some up during the evening (5-7PM, or as otherwise noted) commute at one of these locations:
- 59th Street - Columbus Circle
- 42nd Street - Grand Central
- 42nd Street - Times Square
- 14th Street - Union Square
- Brooklyn Bridge - City Hall
- Wall Street and Broadway (evening hours are 4 – 6 pm)
- Fulton and Nassau Streets (evening hours are 4 – 6 pm)
- Whitehall Street – South Ferry
- 125th Street, by the Apollo Theatre
- 149th & Grand Concourse - Bronx
- Queensboro Plaza - Queens
- Borough Hall/Court Street – Brooklyn
Or check out the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's NYC Condom website for more information, including where you can get free NYC Condoms. And another health related stock photo mix up involving a Chicago “El” car in an ad for Beth Israel and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospitals back in 1998, something that the Times took notice of back then.
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I swear I was thinking Jefferson Market Library as well! It does look somewhat like it.
Stock photography is cheaper in Canada.
That's one lazy graphic designer...
The Flatiron Building isn't in the Village to begin with.
A make believe city? What... There is nothing in New York that can replicate the look of a city?
Seems like more than one person was sleeping on the job (or perhaps they were 'gettin some').
the also put gay guys on the ad. gay guys don't use condoms.
Is that imagination or do I see one guy kissing another? Isn't that perverted?
My hometown!
gay guys don't use condoms.
of course we do; have you ever seen a pregnant gay man?
gay guys don't use condoms.
of course we do; have you ever seen a pregnant gay man?
toront-owned!
The graphic designer probably stock Googled "flatiron building" and the T.O. one came up. Good thing they didn't use the Flatiron Chicago building.
That's what happens when you hire a graphic designer from friggin Iowa or some shit state to do your design work. Their whole reference of NYC is from the movies and TV so they can't tell Toronto from NYC. Not that Toronto is a bad city. It's actually quite nice.
I also thought it was the Jefferson Market Library.
Sloppy, lazy graphic design work like this makes me wonder what kind of moron gets cool gigs like NYC condom and I can't. Seriously, where do they find these people?