A remedy package for high-risk HIV behaviour
THE CHALLENGE
For older, chauvinistic Chinese males, to be virile is to be a real man. In the quest for superior performance, they often turn to strange and lurid aphrodisiac concoctions … bull testicles and tiger penises, power walnut and Tongkat Ali. Some of these even claim to have the mystical effect of preventing HIV. Of course, there is no safe sex apart from abstinence, being faithful to one sexual partner or using a condom for protection. But traditional ‘remedies’ propagate (and tradition does not go away easily over a generation) and so too the incidence of HIV infection among older, blue-collar males in Singapore. The challenge was to impress upon older male prospects that folklore remedies don’t work; modern advice does.
THE IDEA & EXECUTION
Why fight folklore when you can befriend it? Erosion, after all, is more powerful than explosion, according
to advertising psychologist Hugh MacKay. So we repackaged our HIV prevention message for our target, introducing a new product – the ultimate of all aphrodisiacs – formulated for even more intense, longer-lasting pleasure, magnificently labeled in Chinese as ‘猛男至尊宝’ (translated as ‘The Vitality Tonic of Ferocious Men’). Inside this package was of course the HIV prevention message, and a handy condom.
Available only in seedy, underground market stalls, it was launched in the style of traditional medicine peddling – with gongs, banners and all – at key venues like Joo Chiat, Geylang, even the Harbourfront ferry terminal. Press ads in the Chinese evening papers trumpeted our astounding ‘Ultimate Men’s Vitality Tonic’ urging readers to order via a hotline (which offered more effective, proven ways of HIV prevention). At cinemas screening R(A) movies frequented by older, blue-collar males, our message ran as a filmlet shot in 1970’s Shaw Brothers style, mixing Chinese martial arts, traditional medicine cures and superstitions. The low-budget film featured knifes, blades, scorpions and some of the agency’s talent. Radio spots also brought the idea to the airwaves.
THE RESULTS
Launched just two weeks ago, the campaign generated editorial features in the key newspaper Lianhe Wanbao. The product 猛男至尊宝 has become the most talked-about new sensation at Geylang and Joo Chiat. The mix of content creation, product innovation and guerilla event marketing makes for a potent brew in communicating HIV prevention.
THE CHALLENGE
For older, chauvinistic Chinese males, to be virile is to be a real man. In the quest for superior performance, they often turn to strange and lurid aphrodisiac concoctions … bull testicles and tiger penises, power walnut and Tongkat Ali. Some of these even claim to have the mystical effect of preventing HIV. Of course, there is no safe sex apart from abstinence, being faithful to one sexual partner or using a condom for protection. But traditional ‘remedies’ propagate (and tradition does not go away easily over a generation) and so too the incidence of HIV infection among older, blue-collar males in Singapore. The challenge was to impress upon older male prospects that folklore remedies don’t work; modern advice does.
THE IDEA & EXECUTION
Why fight folklore when you can befriend it? Erosion, after all, is more powerful than explosion, according
to advertising psychologist Hugh MacKay. So we repackaged our HIV prevention message for our target, introducing a new product – the ultimate of all aphrodisiacs – formulated for even more intense, longer-lasting pleasure, magnificently labeled in Chinese as ‘猛男至尊宝’ (translated as ‘The Vitality Tonic of Ferocious Men’). Inside this package was of course the HIV prevention message, and a handy condom.
Available only in seedy, underground market stalls, it was launched in the style of traditional medicine peddling – with gongs, banners and all – at key venues like Joo Chiat, Geylang, even the Harbourfront ferry terminal. Press ads in the Chinese evening papers trumpeted our astounding ‘Ultimate Men’s Vitality Tonic’ urging readers to order via a hotline (which offered more effective, proven ways of HIV prevention). At cinemas screening R(A) movies frequented by older, blue-collar males, our message ran as a filmlet shot in 1970’s Shaw Brothers style, mixing Chinese martial arts, traditional medicine cures and superstitions. The low-budget film featured knifes, blades, scorpions and some of the agency’s talent. Radio spots also brought the idea to the airwaves.
THE RESULTS
Launched just two weeks ago, the campaign generated editorial features in the key newspaper Lianhe Wanbao. The product 猛男至尊宝 has become the most talked-about new sensation at Geylang and Joo Chiat. The mix of content creation, product innovation and guerilla event marketing makes for a potent brew in communicating HIV prevention.
