PSI Short Film - Heita Daar

PSI STAR Self-Test Campaign

We travelled to Malawi and Zimbabwe to conduct in-market research around the topic testing for HIV and Aids. What we were seeking was to gauge our target audience’s understanding of the importance of knowing their HIV/Aids status. We conducted interviews with women at clinics, men at bars, young people in the streets, doctors, and prostitutes at hair salons. Out of these interviews we created archetypes which we later used to profile and narrow down the communication to target specific audiences.

In our findings we landed on a strategic platform that would work at instilling hope to an otherwise downhearted nation of people, by promoting the convenience of using the self-testing kit in the privacy of their own homes, thus instilling the importance of getting oneself tested. We did this through a series of flyers, branded giveaways, and posters which were distributed at points of congregation for our various target groups.

In addition to that we scripted and produced a short film, targeted predominantly at the youth, as a way of educating them about HIV/Aids through entertainment. The short film was adapted to a street drama, which was performed by local drama groups within remote communities.