For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke -
213.201.1525
jburke@apla.org
AIDS Walk Los Angeles Revolts Against Complacency
New Promo Campaign Hits the Streets
23rd Annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles: Sunday, October 21, 2007
Los Angeles, September 11, 2007. “The graphically powerful promotional campaign for AIDS Walk Los Angeles 2007 demands attention for a cause that unites us all.” So says Craig E. Thompson, executive director of AIDS Project Los Angeles, the primary beneficiary of the annual event.
The October 21st event starts and ends in West Hollywood Park, with a 10k route through West Hollywood and Los Angeles. Over the next few weeks, all of Los Angeles County will take notice of tens of thousands of posters, street banners, bus shelters, print and online ads, and point-of-purchase stands. Already more than 5,000 such items have been distributed in retail stores, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs, and major outdoor elements will be in-place by September 17th. Designed in the style of WPA-era posters, the images are reminiscent of Rosie the Riveter.
“Through personal action and public activism, we ourselves have to be the end of AIDS. Second only to the virus itself, ignorance, apathy and complacency are the biggest obstacles in overcoming the domestic HIV epidemic,” says Craig R. Miller, President of MZA Events, which originated AIDS Walk Los Angeles in 1985. “Our new ad campaign illustrates the kind of individual determination and community solidarity that the AIDS Walk has for decades exemplified.”
MZA’s creative director, Leif Green, was instrumental in the campaign’s design. “The vision was to emphasize that the strength and perseverance of one individual can capture the essence of an entire movement. We created a diverse group of characters – each of them compelling.” Green added: “Every one of us has something to contribute. This campaign connects us as individuals and as members of a diverse community with a common and urgent objective.” The campaign also reflects the essence of Los Angeles. The background of each piece features an array of iconic landmarks: the U.S. Bank building, the Union Station clock tower, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and of course, palm trees and bold rays of sun.
Last year 30,000 participants raised a record $3.7 million, making AIDS Walk Los Angeles the largest AIDS fundraiser in Southern California. Since its inception, AIDS Walk Los Angeles has raised more than $50 million for APLA and other HIV/AIDS organizations throughout Los Angeles County.
Miller and MZA created the AIDS Walk model in 1984, and currently produce the event in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Ft. Lauderdale. Since its inception, MZA’s AIDS Walks have raised nearly $300 million for leading AIDS charities nationwide.
AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Founded by four friends in 1982, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.
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