SFH Zambia Creative Brief

1 / Health Field / HIV/AIDS
2 / Item / Demand creation campaign for “New Start”VCT centres
3 / Background / Society for Family Health (SFH) launched its first Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) centre in Lusaka in March, 2002 and in Kitwe in August, 2004 under the “New Start”brand. In 2005 and 2006, SFH plans to open at least 5 additional VCT centres in regional cities around Zambia, including Livingstone, Kabwe, Chipata, Mongu and Ndola. VCT is a service targeted to Zambians who want to know their HIV status. Clients visiting “New Start”VCT centres are offered comprehensive pre- test counseling, a rapid same day HIV blood test and comprehensive post-test counseling. Our VCT services also offer referrals to post test clubs for both HIV+ and HIV- people, and referrals to post test care and support services including clinics for HIV treatment where necessary. SFH charges clients a nominal fee of only K1,000 for the entire VCT service. For this fee the client can return for follow up counseling and support for 6 months.
SFH’s VCT service in Lusaka is by far the most popular VCT centre in Zambia, with almost 10,000 clients in 2004 alone. The VCT centre in Kitwe sees fewer clients, but we believe that the potential for this centre to become more popular is immense. Evidence from client surveys conducted in 2004 suggest that the promotion campaigns SFH has run over the last couple of years have had significant results in terms of client uptake of services. Campaigns primarily promoted the importance of knowing one’s HIV status, and promoted the “New Start”VCT brand logo and VCT centre locations. SFH’s constraint in the past has been lack of donor funding for promotion campaigns, which has meant that we have run short, irregular campaigns. Fortunately, SFH has secured solid promotion-related funding for “New Start”in 2005.
The “New Start”brand is thought to be well known amongst high-risk groups in Lusaka and Kitwe, although we do not have clear evidence to support this. Many high-risk people in Zambia still regard HIV as a low priority in their day-to-day lives, and they don’t personally see themselves at risk of contracting HIV despite risky sexual contacts. While overall awareness of and demand for HIV testing and counseling continues to grow, research surveys suggest that people are still very worried about the consequences of entering a VCT centre and what will happen if they prove to be HIV+.
Against this backdrop, SFH Zambia intends to design, develop and launch a comprehensive demand-creation campaign for the two existing “New Start”centres and for the new centres scheduled to open in 2005 and 2006. SFH is inviting Zambian advertising agencies to submit creative concepts for a multi-media campaign which will convince our key target groups to go to “New Start”centres to find out their HIV status and take control of their futures and their health.
4 / Target Group / 1 / Target: Sexually active men and women
Age: 16-25
Income: all, but must include low income
Education: Junior secondary school -college
Where they live: Urban and peri-urban / 2 / Target: Couples, including couples intending to have children or get married
Age: 20-35
Income: all, but must include low income
Education: Senior school –college/higher
Where they live: Urban and peri-urban
5 / Research
What do we know about our Target Group from our research? / Despite high estimated HIV prevalence rates of about 16.5% (ZDHS, 2000), only 13% of individuals in Zambia indicate that they have ever been tested for HIV, and only about half of those who were tested in the past year know their test results (ZSBS, 2000).
Qualitative research undertaken by Society for Family Health showed that barriers to accessing VCT services in Zambia (Mushingeh, 2001):
  • Lack of access to perceived good quality VCT services
  • Lack of awareness of VCT as a concept that includes counseling as well as testing
  • Limited knowledge and access to VCT services
  • For youth and for couples, a low sense of personal risk perception for HIV infection
  • A widespread perception that VCT is for those who are ill or promiscuous, not for “healthy/normal”people
  • Fear of a positive result and the perceived lack of confidentiality at VCT centres
  • Fear of a positive result and being associated with the stigma of being HIV positive
  • Fear of a positive result coupled with the belief that being HIV positive equals an “instant death sentence”
Analysis of Multi-round survey data shows that youth that know a place where to get an HIV test (opportunity factor), those that discuss HIV/AIDS with friends and health workers, those that may not be depressed if found positive and those that would not be shunned by family or friends if found to be HIV positive (ability factors), those that are interested in HIV test if their results can be received confidentially and those that are considering going for an HIV test in order to know their status (motivational factors) are found to be more likely to having had an HIV test.
A recent Long Distance Drivers study conducted by Family Health International indicate the following general findings relating to condom use and HIV testing:
  • Levels of condom use among long distance drivers, mini-bus drivers and uniformed services are above average. Overall, 64.2 percent of respondents reported having ever used a condom. Among those who had ever used a condom, condom use at last sex was 70% with a regular partner, 73% with a non-regular partner and 88% with a commercial sexual partner. The consistent condom use in the past 12 month was 85% for truck drivers, 56% percent for minibus drivers and 84% for uniformed personnel.
  • Although VCT is considered to be an effective intervention to promoting positive and protective behaviours, the reported HIV testing services are not sufficient to curb the spread of HIV among the truckers and minibus drivers. The results of the 2003 LDD study indicate that fewer than one in three truckers and one in four minibus drivers and uniformed personnel reported having ever tested for HIV.

6 / Behavioural Objective
What do we want people to do after they see this item? / After seeing this item, people will go to New Start centres and get counseled and tested for HIV and change their sexual behaviour or adopt a positive lifestyle to live longer, healthier lives (for HIV+).
7 / Communication Objective:
What are the key messages you want to give the target group? /
  • “New Start”offers a low-cost, professional, confidential & anonymous and caring VCT service
  • Couples should get tested together; knowing your HIV status helps you to plan your future together
  • Everyone wants to know their HIV status
  • Free your mind from worries about HIV
  • Life with HIV can be positive (ie emphasize access to treatment and care) & it is better to know you are HIV+ earlier rather than later (when sick)

8 / Positioning statement
Consider Target, Competition and Reason to Buy / For men and women who want to know their HIV status, New Status is a confidential, efficient and affordable service offering individuals and couples access to same-day high quality professional counseling and HIV testing services
9 / Call to Action
For example: “Get yourself tested” / Make a New Start: Know Your HIV Status Today
10 / Expected outputs from agencies /

Expected outputs from agencies:

1.1.At least one well-defined campaign concept which accurately addresses the behavioural objective, and which is in keeping with the creative considerations below. SFH is looking for an innovative campaign concept which can be presented to SFH management through simple storyboards

  1. 2.Agencies should present their vision as to how the campaign concept would be delivered via TV, radio, billboards, posters, brochures or any other media (eg newspapers). We expect agencies to develop concepts that are “campaignable”in multiple media
  2. 3.Concepts should be accompanied by a tagline and a basic narrative (which may be revised from the one supplied above) and appropriate illustrations, such as storyboards.
  3. 4.Agencies will be expected to present the basic concept within 10-15 minutes

11 / Creative Considerations
Consider tone, brand personality, colour schemes, clothing to be worn etc. / Possible approaches for campaign concepts could include variations on the following:
Positive motivations such as:
--a happy, healthy, successful future with your chosen partner
--secure knowledge that your future children are safe
--conformity with a peer group
--individuality, trendiness, “coolness”(eg push the idea that it is cool to know your HIV status)
Negative motivations, including:
--social stigma and repercussions amongst family friends & community
--ethical or religious disgrace
--health consequences, such as sickness and death
--economic consequences of contracting HIV
--fear of transmission to partner or child
Other creative considerations:
--Concepts should have strong resonance with Zambian culture –people, role models, clothing, phraseology, proverbs or sayings included in the campaign should reflect traditional Zambian culture and values, and specifically those of our target groups
--Concepts could focus on special days in the calendar (Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day etc)
--Concepts could include a series of brief images of different types of people that fall into our target groups (both poor and not-so-poor, young and not-so-young, couples and unmarried people or people not in stable relationships) to illustrate the fact that everyone should know their HIV status, irrespective of where they come from –with special focus on couples.
--Concepts may be for any format (TV, video, billboards etc) but must be “campaignable”for use in multiple media. Agencies should be able to make media channel suggestions
11 / Logos / Donor / SFH / Other
KFW/USAID / SFH, New Start / CBoH
12 / Technical/Program Specifications / Geographical placement / Lusaka, Kitwe, Kabwe and Livingstone
Other languages / Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga and Lozi for radio jingles
Materials to be used / TBA by agencies
Dimensions / n/a
Pre-test required? By when? / Yes
DESIGN DEADLINE / April 30
PROCUREMENT DEADLINE / May/June 2005
13 / Processing / Name / Signature / Date
Prepared by: / Richard Harrison / Suzgo Kapanda
Endorsed by Marketing Director: / Richard Harrison
Endorsed by Country Director: / Cynde Robinson