HUHIV campaign “My thing”

The main message of last year’s educational campaign organized by Croatian Association for HIV and viral hepatitis (CAHIV/ HUHIV) was that sexual health is a matter for each individual and when we talk about sexual health, it should include responsible sexual behavior. This year’s ambassadors and influencers, Nika Ilčić and Ivan Hilje- Hiljson Mandela from the popular band KUKU$ helped to deliver the message to the target audience.

Since there are, still a lot of studies which show that word like “sex” is still associated with words such as “disease” or “unwanted pregnancy”, once again, this year, CAHIV conducted fun and educational campaign which, also, celebrated World AIDS Day and marked the last, 15th edition of the Positive concert (co- organized by CAHIV/HUHIV). Purpose of this campaign which lasted from November 4th till December 10th 2019, was to educate and inform young people aged 13 to 24, about their sexual health and gender responsible behavior, and moreover, on how to inform about and prevent sexual diseases or unwanted pregnancies. Regarding the name of the campaign My thing, aim was to communicate to young people the context of sexual health, the importance of accepting responsibility for one’s own sexual behavior and taking care of one’s own health.

There were two target audiences defined in this campaign: the primary audience were young people, primarily generation “Z”, while secondary presented their parents. Another goal was to encourage young people to really care about their sexual health, by educating themselves through reliable and accessible platform such as CAHIV Counseling Center, as well as online platforms such as mobile application “Sexual health” and CAHIV web site. In order to effectively communicate the main message towards the primary target audience, young people, communication channels used in the campaign were those receptive to the audience. Communication activities took place mostly on CAHIV social media, especially their Instagram account, since young people are always online, while communication towards secondary audience, parents, was built through traditional PR activities. In order to really draw attention of generation “Z”, CAHIV cooperated with two influencers popular among the generation “Z”, this year’s ambassadors- Youtuber Nika Ilčić and musician Ivan Hilje- Hiljson Mandela from the popular trap band KUKU$.

Campaign My thing was divided into four phases, each including a few activities; the first phase included press conference and press release to announce the last edition of Positive concert (co- organized by CAHIV) and mark twenty years of CAHIV. During the second phase CAHIV provided relevant campaign content through their Instagram account, and there was unboxing with 15 influencers and the media. Creative gift box included underpants My thing designed by fashion designer Matea Bručić, as the main prop and visual of the campaign, campaign letter and promotional materials, and was sent to influencers and the media who published unboxing on their Instagram accounts. Third phase was also the reveal of the campaign;  educational event at CAHIV tent was organized to mark World AIDS Day, and Nika and Ivan used their YouTube and Instagram accounts to promote CAHIV activities, campaign but, also, encourage their young followers to inform and educate themselves about their sexual health through accessible CAHIV platforms.  Campaign ended with the first Instagram live panel discussion via CAHIV Instagram, on  the importance of responsible sexual behavior.

Discussion was conducted by host Ida Prester, and it gathered Nika and Ivan, as representatives of the younger generation and also representatives of the profession, CAHIV spokeswoman and psychologist Maja Erceg Tušek and Dr. med. Tatjana Nemeth- Blažić, from Croatian Institute of Public Health. Nika and Ivan previously announced and promoted the panel on their Instagram accounts, and thus, motivated their younger audience to get involved, ask questions and inform about sexual health. At the conclusion of the campaign, press release was sent and the agency produced a report on the results of the campaign.

The final results of the campaign My thing are as follows: 73 published PR articles, the number of CAHIV followers on Instagram increased by 53,3% (193 new followers) and total reach on CAHIV Instagram of 28,067.  During the campaign, 14 influencers was involved, and there was total of 79 Influencer posts on Instagram, which generated total influencer reach of 333,016. There was 55, 388 visits to CAHIV web site, their mobile application was downloaded 1, 054 times, 319 telephone and online consultations was accomplished, and additionally 213 individual consultations at CAHIV Counseling Center. There were 162 conducted tests on sexually transmitted diseases which resulted in nine discovered infections.