February 14, 2008
False Flatiron Facsimile Falls Flaccid
Last February, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released the NYC Condom, with packaging echoing the city's iconic subway signage and distributed for free by street teams in heavily-trafficked areas. In time for Valentine's Day this year, the rebranded LifeStyles condoms have been redesigned, accompanied by a multimedia campaign under the slogan "Get Some."
But one of the campaign's new banner ads will look strangely familiar to Torontonians—it features a New York City skyline, complete with Toronto's famous Gooderham Building. The brick edifice, built in 1892, is colloquially known as the Flatiron Building due to its wedge shape, and it seems like an architecturally inexperienced designer got it confused with Madison Square's Flatiron [Fuller] Building whilst sifting through a Google Image Search.
"[The ad] is a make-believe cityscape that represents the vivid atmosphere of the city," a New York Health Department spokesperson told Gothamist, which leaves open the possibility that other architectural landmarks like the Giza pyramids or the Burj Al Arab could turn up in future versions. But we don't mind—we're used to Toronto standing-in for major American metropolises. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we're flattered. We might even put out tonight if you can get us reservations at the Waverly.
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Uh, hate to nitpick, but isn't the NYC Flatiron building at 23rd and Broadway, and not Times Square?
Yup...that was an error in a draft of the article, but it's been fixed. I meant Madison Square.
By the way, what exactly is "mental hygiene"?
We did up the Gothamist piece after noticing last night that it was without doubt the Gooderham Building. Then again, we have spent enough time in Toronto to recognize landmarks, which of course makes watching movies fun!
As for "mental hygiene" it is anyones guess and sounds Orwellian.
I think mental hygiene refers to those movies we all watched in school that warned of the dangers of wearing walkmans and crossing train tracks, playing on construction sites, and taught you that all drug dealers never smile and wear trenchcoats.
Our condo marketers rip off New York landmarks for their marketing, while New York condom marketers rip off Toronto landmarks?
Weird. This is just plain weird.
I can't stop laughing!
Someone needs an Editor - I'm available!
The ones I picked up last time in NY featured the subway lines and they looked infinitely cooler.