MANILA, PHILIPPINES — June is Pride Month. With a calendar full of events honoring the LGBTQ+ community, people are out to celebrate. To keep the fun going safely, advocacy group LoveYourself encourages all to know their HIV status.
Since safe love extends even beyond Pride Month, LoveYourself, in partnership with creative agency Dentsu Creative Philippines, launched the “Pix for Pricks” campaign last January to promote its free HIV self-test kits. These tests are normally unavailable in local drugstores and health centers, as the stigma surrounding premarital sex and Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSMs) has prevented HIV from being a priority for the local health department. This has brought about Asia’s fastest-growing HIV epidemic, with a 411% daily increase in cases over the last 10 years and MSMs accounting for 60% of those who get the virus.
To pique people’s interest, the posters were made to look like invitations to hook up, with messages like “Are you game? Let’s test and see!” and “Up for fun? I’m free!” doubling as calls to test. Painstakingly designed QR codes in the pixelated nether regions led to a chatbot where test kits could be ordered conveniently and discreetly.
The five different designs were put up for free in LGBTQ+-friendly establishments — bars like Seltsam, Hoesik, and Nokal, male-exclusive spa Urus, fitness studio Bare, drag club Rampa, barbershop Barbierro, and independent cinema SinePop!. There were even a few guerrilla placements in random alleys and fire exits.
“Within just the first three months of the launch, there has been a 13% increase in HIV test inquiries and over 31,000 orders,” shares LoveYourself Creative Communications Consultant Paul Junio. “We hope that through this campaign and other efforts like it, we can continue to empower responsible HIV testing, especially among MSMs in the Philippines.”
To order a free HIV self-test kit, scan the QR code on any of the posters or message LoveYourself SelfCare on Facebook Messenger. To learn more about HIV and staying safe, visit LoveYourself.ph.
CREDITS:
Dentsu Creative Philippines
Strategy:
- Chief Strategy Officer – Diday Alcudia
- Social Media Manager – Sam Alcala
- Social Media Manager – Nikka Urbando
Creatives:
- Chief Creative Officer – Jerry Hizon
- Executive Creative Director – Miko Quiogue
- Creative Director – Nikki Golez
- Creative Director – Lexie Dy
- Associate Creative Director – Patricia Salonga
- Copywriter – Cholo Katipunan
- Art Director – Tim Cruz
- Accounts:
- Business Development Director – Carla Dado
- Group Account Director – Kevin Pueblo
- Production:
- Print Producer – Sheila Villanueva
