AUTHOR
Nilimaa, Emma; Nixon, Kim

DEPARTMENT
Business Administration and Social Sciences / Industrial marketing and e-commerce

SUMMARY
There are currently 40 million people worldwide infected with HIV/AIDS, and out of these, 5.3 million are living in South Africa, thus constituting the world’s largest HIV/AIDS population. The pandemic is a severe threat to not only individuals and families, but to the economy and development of an entire nation, this since the disease ends the lives of people in their most productive years. Due to the fact that there is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS, the only remaining option is trying to in every way prevent the spread of the virus. One way of combating the pandemic is the inclusion of social marketing in order to establish and maintain a change in behavior.

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of how nonprofit organizations make use of social marketing campaigns to invoke behavioral change regarding HIV/AIDS. The research comprises two nonprofit organizations, Save the Children Sweden and Molo Songololo, which together conducted a preventative campaign called “Young Men’s Participation to Combat Sexual Abuse, Sexual Exploitation and Violence”. The campaign was carried out during the 2004 16 Days of Activism in Cape Town, South Africa.

The findings of the study advocate that education, including peer education and empowerment, are the core elements of a social change campaign of this nature. Further, cultural sensitivity and a thorough understanding of the complexity of gender roles are pivotal when trying to communicate a preventative message in this region. A mixture of modern and traditional communication tools, so called folk media, will aid in the process of adequately reaching the target adopters.

ISSN 1404-5508 / ISRN LTU-SHU-EX--05/019--SE / NR 2005:019