Billboards in New York & LA inspire fans of The CW smash to ‘catch VD.’ Is that an insult to the show, or what?
Hypothetical question: If you weren’t already a fan of The Vampire Diaries, would you be more inspired to watch if there was a chance you might also contract a venereal disease? I didn’t think so. But that’s exactly what the show’s new crop of promotional billboards and posters are encouraging you to do, with the phrase “Catch VD” plastered over a black background. EW reports a future version will include the phrase plastered over a sexy shot of Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder.
But my biggest issue with the campaign isn’t that it’s needlessly gross, or even that it sends a horrible message to its impressionable audience. My biggest issue is that it’s just a really old joke! When we first heard the books were being made into a show back in 2008, didn’t we all think to ourselves, “Wow, what an unfortunate acronym for a TV show?” I know I did.
Long rant short, I think The Vampire Diaries is awesome enough on its own without a cheap advertising ploy.
Here’s The CW’s response to the racy ads, via Zap2it: “VD simply stands for ‘Vampire Diaries,’ and anyone who thinks otherwise should probably get themselves checked out.”
Yes, the show is a sensation… just not a burning, itching sensation.
