Proud to protect you: superheroes make a stand for healthy gay community
Since early 2017, Aids-Hilfe Schweiz has been working with the communications agency TKF St. Gallen/Zurich. Since then, three information and prevention campaigns have been launched under the banner of Dr. Gay, the Swiss online counseling platform for gay men.
The three campaigns pursue a common goal: to sustainably promote health among gay men in Switzerland. And they do so with a focus on detection, prevention and awareness of sexually transmitted infectious diseases.
Since people generally don't like to talk about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the agency and Aids- Hilfe Schweiz rely on a forceful and tangible implementation of the messages with a catchy metaphor: superheroes. Under the umbrella slogan "Proud to protect you," three superheroes have gone into action so far:
"Starman" uses his laser vision to identify the most common STIs and makes it clear how to protect against them without having less fun having sex.
"Mr. Undetectable", the second superhero, stands for the HIV-positive man whose viral load is no longer detectable thanks to the right therapy. For him, this means that he can no longer infect anyone with the virus and thus lead a carefree, fulfilled life despite HIV.
"Securion", the third in the group, takes the community to task and demands that every gay man consciously deals with the risks of his sexuality - without admonishing fingers but with an unmistakable message: No matter how you protect yourself from HIV, just do it!
Communication takes place across the board in relevant print and online channels. In addition, the campaign heroes are in action at events such as Pride. The number of tests carried out for HIV and the three most widespread STIs - syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia - has risen sharply year on year since the new campaigns were launched. This is a clear signal that the campaign is attracting attention, is well received and is prompting action.
Responsible at Aids-Hilfe Schweiz: Andreas Lehner (overall responsibility), Fabienne Tschanz (marketing). Responsible at TKF: Tim Stockmar, Alexander Fürer, Matthias Eberle, Nina Boschetti, Sara Piljic (creation), Jan Thoma (development), Petra Moser (consulting); illustration: Karakter Design Studio, Berlin.
