Engaging Gay and Bisexual Men in HIV Prevention through the Power of Social Media and Digital Platforms

Background:  More than 30 years into the epidemic, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) of all races continue to be most severely affected by HIV nationwide. Though representing only 2% of the overall population, MSM – including injection drug users – accounted for 70% of all new HIV diagnoses in 2014. In response to the disproportionate impact of HIV on MSM,  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a social marketing campaign for and by MSM. Prior to launch, formative research activities were conducted to determine the campaign focus, appropriate channels, and relevant messaging.

Program background:  In May 2014, CDC launched Start Talking. Stop HIV. (STSH), a national campaign created by and for MSM that promotes open communication about HIV prevention among sexual partners. STSH provides MSM in all types of relationships with practical tools and tips to talk about HIV testing, their HIV status, condom use, and medicines that help prevent and treat HIV (PrEP and PEP – pre and post exposure prophylaxis; ART – antiretroviral therapy). STSH uses a comprehensive social and digital media strategy to increase the reach of its key messages and provide a forum for online conversations about HIV. With the majority of US adults active on social media, it provides a space to meet audiences where they are interacting and deliver tools for them to use. The campaign creates content that is colloquial and uses the same slang and tone as the campaign audience; focuses on mobile-friendly graphics with minimal text; infuses emotional content through questions, motivational posts, and graphics; integrates witty and playful graphics and language; acknowledges non-HIV news topics and other issues that are important to the audience; and occasionally interacts with social media participants. STSH utilizes formats that are novel and trending on social media, such as infographics, GIFs, and memes.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  From campaign launch until September 2015, the STSH Facebook page garnered 56,572 net likes, a page reach of 8,862,496, and 2,407,984 post-level impressions. Posts classified as photos and videos have an average reach of 290,000 people versus plain-text statuses with an average reach of 4,300 people. Those posts with the most Facebook engagement are either a meme/photo, animated GIF, or video. The campaign team also posted 17 YouTube videos that have amassed 6,781,390 total video views. Across different social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and Tumblr, the campaign hashtag (#StartTalkingHIV) was used in 1,926 instances and the campaign’s keyword/phrase (Start Talking. Stop HIV.) was used in 2,778 instances.

Conclusions:   Relative to traditional media buys, social media is a low financial investment but high yield strategy that has been successful in engaging MSM and prompting discussions on a range of HIV prevention topics. The campaign team successfully increased Facebook page likes and increased post engagement. Much of the social media engagement was driven by the promotion of new and timely multimedia content.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Timely, relevant, and meaningful content is critical on social media platforms. Incorporating messaging and framing that is appropriate to the audience enhances relevance and supports engagement.