From time to time we are to asked to develop advertising work for small space ‘Sale’ ads, to seasonal product launches to issue awareness campaigns.

While working on the 2008 Melbourne Fringe Festival we partnered with Fringe to develop a marketing concept for Victoria’s Department of Health Service’s sexually transmitted infections (STI) awareness programme.

Fringe’s audience covers a range people – many of which are 18 to 35 years old and Chlamydia was the Department of Health Service’s targeted STI for this festival. Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection and the most common silent STI amongst young people in Australia. Know as the silent STI, untreated Chlamydia is a serious disease that if left untreated can cause infertility in woman.

We started our process with groups of 18 to 35 year olds in round table style discussions. This process was an open, frank and fearless forum, which uncovered that women in general are key to maintaining safe sex practices – prior and during sex. The key message “Protect your glory box, use condoms and lube” was also developed from these forums, along with a range of potential campaign application and initiatives. To “Protect your glory box” was a call to girls at the Festival and beyond, to protect their right to fertility. This humorous and honest conversation starter worked effectively and assisted to raise awareness of a sensitive health issue during the 2008 Festival.

The 2008 Fringe’s Festival report (from the audience response survey for festival partners) found that 43% were able to correctly recall Fringe’s new key message ‘Protect your glorybox’, or were able to identify that it was a sexual health message from the communication materials in circulation at the time.

The execution of the campaign combined back-home-clichés, Kill Bill (the movie) and lo-fi graphics applied to a bold partner logo scheme, banners, a glory box kit, staff uniform and press advertising.

Thanks again to the DHS for this challenging and rewarding opportunity.

For information about Chlamydia click here.

Comment?