Social Marketing Technology Outreach Program (STOP): Using Social Marketing to Reach Youth for HIV Awareness & Risk-Reduction

Background:  The Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies (IWES), a non-profit community-based organization, launched the Social Marketing Technology Outreach Program (STOP) in 2009 to promote HIV risk reduction among African American and Latino youth in the Greater New Orleans area. HIV disproportionately affects African Americans in Louisiana; in 2008, 72% of newly diagnosed HIV cases and 70% of newly diagnosed AIDS cases were among African Americans. STOP was created to develop far-reaching strategies to reduce HIV and STI incidence and prevalence among youth through the utilization of the social marketing framework.

Program background:  Youth advocates from the target demographic, known as STOPpers, received training in social marketing and communication to create a multimedia HIV risk reduction campaign utilizing advanced technologies. They completed weekly assignments and attended monthly meetings to design core campaign tactics. They developed all aspects of the campaign: segmented the target audience and the 4 Ps strategies; created the tagline, logo, and messaging; facilitated pilot testing; and conducted outreach activities with their peers. Based on their formative research, the campaign focused on adolescents aged 13 to 18. Secondary audiences included gatekeepers and influencers, such as parents, religious leaders, and others who work with youth (e.g., band directors, coaches). Safer sex kits with condoms, lubricants, and a list of local no-cost HIV testing facilities were created in response to limited access to these resources. STOPpers produced a variety of short media pieces that featured themselves as ambassadors of sexual health information for their peers. Campaign messaging was disseminated through MySpace, Facebook, & Twitter. Community partnerships were established to provide additional venues for material dissemination (i.e. community organizations, clinics, schools, restaurants, et. al.).

Evaluation Methods and Results:  The evaluation focused on campaign visibility and the pervasiveness of its messages amongst the target population. Since the launch on December 1^st, as of May 2010 over 900 STOP kits have been disseminated; the campaign has 9 partners that display and distribute campaign materials; the MySpace page has 500 friends and 136 blog views and the Facebook page has 950 fans and 400 average weekly page views. The campaign was featured on a local news station, the AIDS.gov March 2010 blog, and in Advocates for Youth’s March 2010 Monthly Mentions. On March 27^th, 2010 the campaign organized an HIV Awareness Youth Talent Show that had over 300 attendees and fused campaign messaging, promotion and tabling from local youth-serving organizations with free entertainment.

Conclusions: 

• Social marketing is effective in engaging hard-to-reach youth for HIV prevention.
• Combining entertainment and public health information is a fun and effective way to spread HIV prevention messages.
• Disseminating youth-featured information through peer networks is effective in recruiting and retaining interest in sexual health topics.
• Placing safer sex materials in discreet, trendy packaging is effective in increasing access to safer sex resources.

Implications for research and/or practice:  STOP is one of few social marketing campaigns that not only targets youth, but actively engages them as partners in its design and implementation. The success of this program highlights the need for more youth-driven approaches.