In partnership with The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, VH1 debuted a new 30-second public-service announcement Monday featuring former National Basketball Association player and television personality John Salley and a live elephant.
The network officially unveiled the spot at the International AIDS Conference in Toronto, and it can currently be seen online (www.eargoo.com/vh1/globalaids30.mov).
VH1 said the spot is based on an old adage, "There's an elephant in the room, and no one's talking about it," adapting that saying to, "There's an elephant in the room and its name is AIDS.” During the spot, Salley walks through an office building with a live elephant that wears a visitor name badge marked "AIDS.”
VH1 will begin airing the spot on its flagship network, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul and VH1.com (www.vh1.com) this week.
“We're proud of our partnership with The Global Fund on this unprecedented campaign and believe that together, over the past two years, we made a positive impact with our viewers," VH1 executive vice president and general manager Tom Calderone said in a prepared statement.
