Squirt.org poster

This poster publicly advertised a global internet dating site aimed at gay and bisexual men in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The campaign was withdrawn after Auckland City Council deemed the posters to be promoting the commercial sex industry.

The poster's message about sex and relationships is unequivocal - topless glistening young men smile at the viewer under the site's name ('Squirt.org') with the claim 'Non-Stop Hookups' superimposed on their chests. An additional image of a smartphone features the associated app with many images of men to choose from.

Hook-up culture

The internet and smartphone technology have caused a huge transformation in how people connect. Like online shopping, dating apps provide vast pools of people to choose from at the swipe of smartphone screen. ‘Hook-up culture’ allows for people to connect quickly, from meeting up for coffee to having sex.

Why posters?

Posters are a traditional method of advertising, which in this particular example seems at odds with the digital world being promoted. Why does an internet site about hooking up need to be advertised in city streets to all passers-by? The poster's publisher, Pink Triangle Press, notes that: 'we use outdoor advertising to target those gay/bi men that perhaps don't identify with the gay community’ and who don’t look at gay magazines or websites. Posters in the street are not so easily ignored, and can gain respectability and traction among wider communities when displayed on authorised hoardings.