SMART ARSE, CLEVER DICK
November 2011 sees the launch of a new CHAPS campaign aimed at motivating condom use among gay and bisexual men. The Smart Arse/Clever Dick campaign not only encourages condom use but helps men better understand how their sex life may be risking HIV transmission.
Background to the campaign
Most gay and bisexual men still use condoms most of the time. Annual surveys show that around a half of men report no unprotected anal sex in the last year. Much apparently ‘unsafe sex’ may not be so, as it takes place within relationships: among the half of men reporting non-condom use a further half say this was with only one man.
Nonetheless around a quarter of all men report unprotected anal sex with two or more men in a year and 2010 saw the highest level of gay men testing HIV positive (just over 3,000).
The CHAPS partnership has responded by prioritising a condom promotion campaign, in particular one designed to appeal to young men. This new campaign is the latest in a series of CHAPS condom campaigns which ran in 2002, 2005 and 2007.
Aims of the campaign
The campaign has the overall goal of increasing condom use. It seeks to do this by incorporating what we know persuades people to maintain or adapt certain behaviours. People are more influenced by what their peers do than by what government and health agencies advise. In light of this the mass media and online elements contain the following:
- men see other men endorsing positive consequences of condom use
- men use a risk assessment tool that gauges their risk of getting or passing on HIV. It shows how their sex life might be putting them at risk of getting or passing on HIV and what they can do to lower this risk
- men can increase their condom knowledge and skills and access discounted condoms and lubricant.
Target audience
Although pre-testing showed the campaign was popular with a wide range of men, its stated target group is younger men (under 25). They have greater knowledge needs around condoms, are more open to changing their attitudes and behaviour (and are more influenced by their peers) and are less likely to have been exposed to previous condom campaigns.
Gathering ‘insight’
A key component in the campaign development was the ‘insight’ generated by an online panel of gay men set up by CHAPS research partner Sigma Research. Around 1,200 men were questioned about why they used condoms. This generated the campaign key messages of ‘protection’ and ‘peace of mind’.
These concepts had slightly different meanings according to whether a man was HIV negative or positive: the latter understood condoms offering their partners protection against HIV but against other sexually transmitted infections for themselves. ‘Hygiene’ was another insight men mentioned, one echoed in the campaign’s accompanying video clip.
Pre-testing
Focus group pre-testing with the target audience was central to campaign development. Two rounds, involving six groups, took place in Leicester, Plymouth, London, Brighton, Bristol and Manchester. Younger men were overrepresented in the groups and their preference for the ‘jeans’ concept ensured it was chosen over a rival concept that also tested well.
The decision to not show faces in the press ads was guided by the groups: it avoided men disengaging if they failed to identify with or desire the featured men.
A key part of the campaign, the HIV risk assessment tool housed on the campaign web site, was also pretested. Feedback guided the wording of the questions, their presentation and how participation should be incentivised. Pre-test findings are the reason why the survey is promoted with a prize draw and HIV is not explicitly mentioned.
Risk assessment and online content
An online risk assessment tool is central to the campaign. Men are used to filling in sex surveys gathering data for use by researchers but answers are not often fedback to them. This time men answering a set of questions will get an instant rating of their HIV risk profile. A couple of key behaviours that gave them their score are flagged up.
Men have the option of receiving a detailed personalised email breakdown going over their answers. Survey questions are tailored to fit each man’s HIV status.
Rating men’s sex lives ‘high’, ‘medium’ or ‘low risk’, especially for men with many partners, is difficult given the lack of information about each partner. So the risk assessment either gives men a green ‘low risk’ rating if they report no anal sex or anal sex only with condoms. All other activity is rated red for ‘Stop and think!’
The ten risk behaviours featured in the CHAPS strategy Making it Count form the basis of the survey’s questions.
Risk factors include use of poppers, monogamy vs. open relationships, Post-exposure Prophylaxis, having ‘undetectable viral load’, and disclosing HIV status. The survey is being promoted through online advertising with incentives such as an iPad and jeans (donated by Monkee Genes).
Other campaign items
Besides the risk assessment and web site, campaign materials include:
- press advertising in regional and national gay and HIV positive titles (including a front cover feature in Boyz magazine)
- online advertising on popular porn, social media and gay dating sites (eg, Gaydar and Grindr)promoting the risk assessment and Freedoms’ discounted offer
- direct email messages to members of online dating sites (eg, Gaydar and Manhunt)
- condom packs
- A4 and A0 posters
- campaign highlights for display in venues (digital file or DVD)
- items to support outreach: lip balm, stickers and packs of badges
- t-shirts for venue staff and agency workers and volunteers
Go to the microsite