 |
||||||||
|
MOSCOW, Russia, May 26, 2003 — The temperature has warmed up in Russia, spring fever has given rise to summer and many people in the northern hemisphere are thinking about travel, among other things. It is such a correlation that has influenced PSI/Russia's Vozmi S Soboi (Take It With You) campaign to shift gears and target sexually active young travelers, reminding them that "wherever you go, take it (a condom) with you." Take It With You is a unique U.S. Agency for International Development funded, web-based HIV/AIDS marketing campaign with its own website (www.vozmissoboi.ru) aimed at educating adolescents and young adults ages 14-24. The colorful and informative website features a variety of HIV/AIDS-related resources including a "frequently asked questions" page, an AIDS dictionary and an interactive SPIDometer (SPID in Russian means AIDS) to gauge how high a risk you might be running based on a sex and drug-use related quiz. The site offers free e-cards to send your friends and a continuing comic strip with biographies of the story's healthy heroes. The site, which is entirely in Russian, provides instructions on how to properly use a condom, gives advice on how to convince your partner to use one and offers articles on a range of HIV/AIDS-related issues. Viewers are able to submit questions, register for an email list or join a chat room. PSI Europe/Eurasia Program Manager Lara Frazier relates that "take it with you" refers not just to condoms, but also to empowerment and knowledge. The campaign began in late 2001 in conjunction with World AIDS Day and, through the initial funding of the U.S. Agency for International Development lasts until September 2003, the campaign has high hopes for the long term. With the internet developing at an exponential rate, PSI/Russia tapped into a cheap and effective medium harnessing its far-reaching potential in a large country. Because addressing HIV/AIDS issues in a country the size of Russia is not an easy task and the internet is still a developing information vehicle in the country, offices established in Moscow, Saratov, St. Petersburg and Samara aid in the promotion of the website and dissemination of the Take It With You mission. Postcards bearing the campaign's messages are available in prominent youth venues such as cafes, theaters and nightclubs in the major cities and are available for distribution elsewhere when requested. The website is advertised in four different Café Max internet cafes and well-trained volunteers are onsite during peak hours to hand out literature and answer questions. PSI/Russia teamed up with a mobile phone company and a radio station for an on-air contest where callers tested their HIV/AIDS knowledge for prizes. Banner ads linked to the campaign website are running on a variety of youth-related websites, including those aimed at a homosexual audience and dating pages. The banners themselves often feature games and contests to entice viewers to the website. The percentages of Russian net surfers who have actually used the banner ads to click through to the Take It With You web page are considerably higher than American averages. During the Valentine's Day theme "Protect Your Love, Take it With You," the website received a surge of hits and banner ads clicks. By utilizing the internet, Take It With You provides HIV/AIDS education
and information through an entertaining and popular medium in order
to reach its young target audience. — Karrie Carnes, public affairs intern, PSI/Washington
|
 |
|
|||||
|
|
||||||||
