HIV infections continue to grow

There are concerns that the message about HIV infection/Aids is not getting through to the masses, that HIV/Aids continues to run rampant despite PSA announcements. Well, have you seen the PSA announcements? Check this one example. Shouldn't the intent of any advert or promotion be to reach the audience on a level they can understand or will react to? Keep the message simple, grab their attention first and hope it connects. You've got seconds to get their attention before they switch channels. It isn't a fluke that businesses use words like "Sale" or "Bargain" or "Budget", or use strong colours like red, white and black or use announcers that speak fast. It is unusual so it grabs peoples' attention hopefully long enough for them to perhaps want to listen further.

Now the target audience for Aids is the person living in a shack. Forget Mr Middle Class who is happily married and has three kids. He makes up a fraction of the people at risk. Only 3 million blacks in South Africa are middle class. The rest live in shacks or backyards. Get down to Sipho the shack dweller's level. Then speak to him. Slowly. Sending out some knavishly arty farty message that only your peers can understand is pointless. In this ad, I think the advertising company went too far concentrating on marketing their skills (which are good) but the message is lost. In the full sixty seconds of the ad, I don't get what the advert is about until 3 seconds from the end which, by that time, I've already gone for a pee. And those that watch to the end need to be able to actually read English - and fast. We can do better.





A visiting US congressman has expressed concern about SA’s inability to significantly reduce the level of new HIV infections despite education and prevention campaigns.

US Congressman Donald Payne, chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa and global health, told Business Day on Friday that something was amiss about SA's efforts to prevent new infections. This in turn threatened SA's future because the infections affected the youth.

Payne said the "ABC" policy, stressing abstinence, being faithful and wearing a condom, was not having the desired effect, particularly in preventing new infections among young people. For the youth, the focus should be on abstinence, he said.

"The concept of abstinence would have been an ideal message targeted at the youth," Payne said, adding that he believed the multi-approach message of prevention was not striking a chord with many people.

His visit follows the recent approval by President Barack Obama of a five-year, 48bn budget for HIV treatment and prevention strategies in developing countries, almost three times that of former president George Bush's 15bn. Source