HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme launch new messages for condom campaign
In November 2021, the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme (SHCPP) updated its campaign promoting condom use.
The campaign, first launched in November 2019, is aimed at young adults (aged 18–30) who are at increased risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The campaign objectives are to:
- build awareness about the risk of acquiring an STI
- emphasise the role of condoms in minimising this risk
- sign-post people to www.sexualwellbeing.ie for further information about sexual health and wellbeing.
The new creative will appear across multiple channels. Since late November, posters appeared in social venues in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Kilkenny, and digital posters appeared in areas with high footfall in Dublin. Later in December, digital ads will appear across various platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
The campaign has been developed because
- Over 11,000 STIs were diagnosed in Ireland in 2020
- 18 to 30 year olds are more likely to be diagnosed with an STI than other age groups.
The campaign was created with young adults at the heart of the communications approach. Focus groups with 18-30 year olds informed the campaign. In their feedback, they said that they were looking for clear information about sexual health, with a humorous edge but also with an educational element.
The updated campaign continues this approach. The consistent style of the creative, aims to build the awareness of the campaign among the target audience by introducing new messages. Based on a 2020 omnibus, 31% of the target audience can recall seeing or hearing advertising relating to the sexual health campaign and 44% of this group say they would more likely use a condom after seeing the ads.
Social media messaging will start from Monday 13th December.
