diva creative - social marketing specialists

‘Spend a penny, gain a fiver’ : Tameside and Glossop Chlamydia screening campaign

diva’s approach to social marketing is focused on raising self-esteem and boosting health literacy to encourage positive social change. diva applies this approach to many different issues, including tackling obesity; encouraging smoking cessation and improving sexual health.

Using a social marketing approach, diva worked with NHS Tameside and Glossop on a campaign to address the high rates of Chlamydia amongst young people under the age of 25.

The campaign sought to achieve the following objectives:

• Raise awareness of Chlamydia and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
• Address common myths associated with screening methods that might act as consumer behaviour drivers
• Raise awareness of where screening is available
• Encourage condom-use
• Reduce stigma and labeling attached to attending screening opportunities

A variety of tools were used to address these objectives with Tameside and Glossop’s young people, and also to address some of the barriers preventing them from accessing current Chlamydia screening opportunities.

Opportunistic live events were held in familiar, accessible locations, including busy town centres and Post 16 colleges. These were facilitated by a campaign team of a similar age to the target audience, trained to provide information on the campaign, and signpost young people to testing locations. Service delivery agents from Tameside and Glossop’s ‘Chlamydia Hit Squad’, were also on-hand to offer detailed advice and consultation with young people, and to provide Chlamydia testing.

High profile, branded collateral was used to publicise when and where screening would be offered, and highlight key messages and signposting information for local sexual health services. This included: posters, leaflets, window banners, and bus, taxi and press advertising.

Media releases were used to gain further media coverage for the campaign and wider sexual health issues leading to media interviews where the client was supported in delivering a wider context for the campaign.

A local radio station was hired to broadcast live from the events to generate interest from young people passing by, as well as publicise the events on the day.

As an incentive, the campaign also offered young people the opportunity to pick-up a free music voucher and to enter a free prize draw if screening was undertaken at a sexual health service any time between 15th November 2008 and 31st January 2009.

Data collated to date shows a 100% increase in the number of young people accessing Chlamydia screening since the start of the campaign.

From the start of February, the campaign enters a new phase, focusing on the further delivery of live events in Post 16 colleges.

The success of diva’s Chlamydia Screening Campaign in Tameside and Glossop, and another Chlamydia campaign in Devon, has led to commissions of another campaign in Islington.