Condom Social Marketing Initiative
DON’T LET YOUR COMMUNITY GET
BITTEN. ASK FOR A SNAKE.
On 28 March
2004 Mildura celebrated the launch of Australia’s first ever
Indigenous friendly socially marketed condom brand, SNAKE
CONDOMS. Approximately 2,000 people attended SNAKEFEST,
the free concert, which featured performances by prominent
Australian chart toppers including Shakaya and Mercury 4, as
well as hip hop artists Brothablack, Little G and R&B singer
Dalys. The event was jointly hosted by Aaron Pedersen, Channel
9’s “Water Rates” Indigenous star, and Rachel Molloy,
Marie Stopes International Australia’s (MSIA) National Marketing
and Program Manager.
SNAKE
CONDOMS are part of a new condom social marketing campaign
that promotes subsidised condoms. By using marketing approaches
that educate, change attitudes and positively affect social
behaviour in terms of safer sex practices, the initiative aims
to help reduce unplanned teenage pregnancies and the spread and
incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including
HIV/AIDS among Indigenous communities.
The
initiative was prompted by the worrying sexual and reproductive
health trends impacting Indigenous people.
Rates for teenage pregnancy and STIs are remarkably high among
the Aboriginal population, and the rate of HIV/AIDS notification
is increasing.
The new
SNAKE CONDOMS brand is the culmination of 18 months of close
collaboration between MSIA, the Victorian Aboriginal Community
Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and the Mildura
Aboriginal Health Service. The project was piloted in Mildura
and surrounding towns.
As a result of the
campaign:
-
Indigenous
people aged 16-30 are now more likely to use condoms
-
Indigenous
people aged 16-30 are now more worried about having
unsafe/unprotected sex
-
Indigenous
people aged 16-30 have a high recall and purchase of SNAKE CONDOMS – with a greater proportion of respondents
recalling and purchasing SNAKE CONDOMS compared with
any other brand in the piloted area.
Based on the
successes of the pilot, a nation-wide expansion strategy is
being formulated, to allow Indigenous people from all over
Australia to benefit from this innovative campaign.
WHY
CONDOM SOCIAL MARKETING?
Condom
social marketing has also been used to great effect in many
Marie Stopes’ programs internationally. Social marketing aims
to ensure that condoms reach the groups who most need them, in
an affordable and accessible way, so the product is typically
subsidised and made available through both traditional and
non-traditional outlets. As pointed out by the U.S. Agency for
International Development, “Social marketing has been the single
most important contribution that the family planning field have
made to the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STIs.”
The World Health Organisation confirms this approach and
acknowledges that “condom social marketing programs have
succeeded in increasing the use of condoms in many countries.”
The idea for
the SNAKE CONDOMS social marketing initiative arose from
an earlier VACCHO-MSIA initiative, PhotoVoice, during which
young Indigenous people in three communities (including Mildura)
used photography as a means to identify their important sexual
and reproductive health issues. One of the very strong messages
to come from this initiative was the need for better access to
condoms to help young people practise safe sex and reduce
unwanted pregnancies and STIs.
Further
research also identified a range of social and cultural barriers
to condom use in Indigenous communities, particularly, that the
distribution of free condoms has had little or no impact. It
was also generally felt that condom brands in the marketplace
targeted white Australians and were not in any way culturally
relevant to Indigenous Australians.
Therefore, to
overcome these barriers, a new condom brand needed to be
developed which was highly appealing to Indigenous people.
THE BRAND
Local youth worked closely with the MSIA,
VACCHO, MAHS and cummins&partners advertising agency throughout
the product development phase.
As suggested by a number of young Indigenous
people, the new condom was named SNAKE, which is
symbolic of Indigenous culture. Most importantly, SNAKE
lends itself to some fun and cheeky innuendo to which teenagers
can relate.
The SNAKE CONDOMS logo also integrated
preferences cited by the Mildura community, including strong use
of the colours of the Aboriginal flag, as well as a blend of
traditional and modern Indigenous art.
THE PRODUCT
SNAKE CONDOMS
are flavoured and come in the colours of the Aboriginal
flag – red for strawberry, yellow for vanilla and black
for chocolate. They are ultra thin to feel more natural
and are sold in discreet sized packs of three, so they
can easily fit in a pocket or purse.
THE PRICE
Most young people that took part in the research viewed
condoms as being too expensive, so MSIA and VACCHO needed to
ensure that the new brand was affordable and didn’t compete with
other products such as alcohol or cigarettes. The condoms also
needed to be available at a subsidised price, but without being
‘too cheap’ which would create the perception that they are poor
quality. Taking these factors into account, it was decided that
the recommended retail price for SNAKE CONDOMS be $2.00,
which is affordable to even the most vulnerable groups. All
proceeds from the condom sales contribute to project
sustainability, thus reducing reliance on donor funding.
THE
DISTRIBUTION
In addition to traditional retail outlets
such as supermarkets, chemists, local convenience stores,
service stations and the MAHS, SNAKE CONDOMS are also
available at late night eateries, burger vans and pubs and
cafes.
Most importantly, they are being distributed
via a peer seller network. For the first time in Australia,
young Indigenous people have been trained as peer sellers and
are distributing the new condom brand at parties and other
places where young people gather - as this is where many key
decisions regarding sexual behaviour are being made. They buy
the condoms at a subsidised price and retain any profits that
they make from sales to the community.
THE ADVERTISING
SNAKE
CONDOMS
(and the safe sex message) are being promoted through a print,
poster, transit and radio advertising campaign.
In addition,
branded merchandise was developed to reinforce brand awareness.
This includes men’s and women’s T-shirts, caps, visors and
key-ring condom holders.
An educational
flyer was developed to increase knowledge and awareness about
the importance of using a condom, as well as the importance of
correct and consistent use. These are being widely distributed
by retail outlets stocking the brand, as well as through the
peer seller network.
evaluation
Cultural Perspectives conducted the benchmark
and evaluation studies in collaboration with the MAHS. These
studies served as pre-project and post-project indicators,
evaluating the effectiveness of the manner in which the project
was conducted and the impact of the Condom Social Marketing
for Indigenous Australia Mildura area pilot initiative. The
respondents were Indigenous people between 13 and 30 years.
THE FINDINGS
Condom use
Since the
launch of the SNAKE CONDOMS brand in Mildura, there has
been a significant improvement in the rates of condom use among
sexually active respondents of the targeted community. Survey
respondents were asked how often they used condoms when having
sex. As can be noted in the following table, the results
indicate that the evaluation respondents are much more are more
likely to ‘always use a condom’ (58%) than among the
benchmark respondents (40%). The research also showed an
increase from 15% to 19% in the number of respondents who ‘usually
use a condom’.
|
|
Benchmark(n=98)
|
Evaluation
(n=52)
|
|
Always use a condom |
40% |
58% |
|
Usually use a condom |
15% |
19% |
|
Sometimes use a condom |
17% |
4% |
|
Very rarely use a condom |
26% |
19% |
|
Never
use a condom |
2% |
0% |
Similarly the
respondents in the evaluation were much more likely to have used
a condom during the last act of sexual intercourse (62%) than
the benchmark survey respondents (42%).
Attitudes toward
unsafe/unprotected sex
Since the
launch of a socially marketed condom brand in the Mildura
community, there have been significant shifts in attitudes of
members of the targeted groups. The results indicate that the
evaluation survey respondents, were considerably more likely
than the benchmark survey respondents to be worried when they
have unsafe/unprotected sex. As can be noted in the following
table, there was a significant increase from 21% to 46% in the
number of respondents who were ‘really worried’ about
unsafe/unprotected sex. Similarly, there was a significant
decrease from 34% to 11% in the number of respondents who ‘do
not worry’ about unsafe/unprotected sex at all.
|
|
Benchmark(n=99)
|
Evaluation(n=57)
|
|
I do
not worry about it at all |
34% |
11% |
|
I
worry about it a bit, but forget about it quickly |
16% |
11% |
|
I
worry about it quite a bit |
28% |
33% |
|
I am
really worried about this |
21% |
46% |
As can be noted in the following graphs,
Indigenous people aged 16-30 have a high recall and purchase of
SNAKE CONDOMS – with a greater proportion of evaluation
respondents recalling and purchasing SNAKE CONDOMS
compared with any other brand in the piloted area.
SALES ACHIEVED
Since
SNAKE CONDOMS were launched in Mildura on 28th
March, 2004, over 15,000 condoms have been sold. This outcome is
extremely positive considering the relatively small Indigenous
population of Mildura (3,000-5,000 people) and once again
indicates the popularity of the brand among members of the
targeted community.
THE
CONCLUSION
In conclusion,
the response to the Condom Social Marketing Initiative for
Indigenous Australia has been extremely positive, especially
given the relatively short time frame since its inception.
The initiative has been
a remarkable opportunity to promote sexual and reproductive
health and the prevention of STIs, including HIV/AIDS, as well
as providing contraceptive protection for young Indigenous
people.
As a result of the
campaign, the availability and accessibility of condoms has
significantly improved. By making condoms more accessible to
Indigenous people at places where they regularly gather and at
times when they are making decisions about their sexual
behaviour, this initiative has helped reach new groups of
potential users. Also, making condoms more available has raised
their visibility and made them more familiar to Indigenous
people, helping to overcome taboos. Furthermore, by creating a
product that is culturally relevant and highly appealing to the
Indigenous community, this initiative has encouraged them to
actually buy the product and use it.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS
The project partners
strongly endorse the introduction of a nationwide campaign so
that the same sexual and reproductive health benefits can be
offered to other Indigenous communities across the country. It
will only be when the elements of a nationwide strategy are
implemented, that there will be possibility of lasting change.
Partnerships with key Indigenous
organisations, local community input for guiding programming
decisions, as well as working within the principles of
Aboriginal self-determination and community control were key to
the success of the initiative. A big thank you to the local
Indigenous community in Mildura for making the initiative
possible.
Further
information
MSIA and VACCHO are currently gathering expressions of interest
from communities around Australia. If you think your community
would benefit from this campaign, please contact Marie Stopes
International Australia on (03) 9525 2411 or email
info@mariestopes.org.au
The SNAKE CONDOMS initiative has been
made possible by the Commonwealth Government Office for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, cummins&partners,
Cultural Perspectives, Virgin Blue, 99.5 Star FM and Rachel
Molloy of MSIA (pictured below, centre).
