campaign results

What do you get when you bring together a riddle, an Indian sport, a condom ringtone, and a puppy to make condoms more socially acceptable in India? In two years, BBC World Service Trust’s ‘Condom is Just another Word’ campaign reached 150 million men across India and brought about improved attitudes towards condoms across a range of criteria.

Embarrassment around purchasing condoms decreased and men were more likely to discuss and use them, compared to men who were not exposed to the campaign.

Impact research was conducted during January-February 2009, focusing on men between 15-49 years, living in our four priority states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The impact of the campaign was measured by comparing the findings of the endline with the baseline study, which was conducted in 2007 using the same methodology.

Key findings of the impact research include:

• Campaign sparks discussion about condoms
  • Among men exposed to the campaign, there is an increase by 18% of men who discussed condoms in the last 30 days from baseline to endline. Quite dramatically, discussing condoms actually declined by 11% from baseline to endline among those who had not been exposed to the campaign.
    
    
• Embarrassment in carrying condoms decreases
  • The proportion of men exposed who are not embarrassed to carry a condom increases by 25% from baseline to endline. The increase among unexposed men is less than half that at 10%.
    
    
• Exposure to the campaign reduces embarrassment related to purchasing condoms
  • Men who agree with the statement “I can buy a condom from any shop without any fear or embarrassment” increases by 21% from baseline to endline among those exposed. This increase is a mere 6% for those not exposed to the campaign.
    
    
• The campaign staves off an increase in fear of being judged while purchasing condoms
  • Fear of being judged by shopkeepers when buying condoms stays the same for those exposed from baseline to end line, while among those unexposed, this fear increases by 7%.
    
    
• Fear of negative judgment decreases
  • Fear of being judged by friends when buying condoms decreases by 9% for those exposed to the campaign compared to only 2% among unexposed men.
    
    
• More men believe condoms reflect smart and responsible behaviour
  • There is a 7% increase in the men who think that the use of condoms reflects smart and responsible behaviour. It is only 3% for men unexposed to the campaign.
    
    
• Shame in using condoms
  • Shame in using condoms reduces by 9% among those exposed to the campaign, but only by 2% for those not exposed to the campaign.
    
    
• Intention to discuss condoms increases
  • Men exposed to the campaign who say they intend to discuss condoms with friends increases by 6% from baseline to endline. There is no change in intention to discuss condoms in unexposed men.
    
    
• Intention to use condoms increased
  • Men exposed to the campaign who say they are likely to use a condom the next time they have sex with a commercial sex worker increases by 12% from baseline to endline. Those likely to use a condom the next time they have sex with a girlfriend increases by 8% from baseline to endline.
    
    
• Massive recall of the parrot mascot
  • 99% of people interviewed recall the parrot from the advertisements.
    
    

The impact research reveals the importance of ongoing communication related to condoms, as the data of those unexposed to the campaign demonstrates that negative attitudes can increase over time. Given the success of the condom campaign in achieving its objective of making condoms more acceptable, in partnership with the National AIDS Control Organisation, the BBC World Service Trust plans to continue promoting condoms through to 2011 see (Risk is Real)