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Beeping-Based Mobile Social Marketing Campaign Encourages HIV Education, Testing in South Africa
Posted August 31st, 2009 by fjohnmar
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Part of a Special Series Developed in Partnership With MobileActive.org
AIDS is a major epidemic in South Africa. According to Advert.org, 5.7 million of the country’s citizens had HIV in 2007. In addition, that year, nearly 1,000 people died each day from the disease.
Given the severity of the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa, there is a critical need for better education on prevention and treatment in the country. In 2007, SocialTxt (an initiative powered by the Praekelt Foundation), initiated a pilot project leveraging popular “Please Call Me” (PCM) messages. These mobile instant messages are used to advertise a variety of products in the country. PCM messages are derived from a cultural tradition called “beeping” or the practice of placing a mobile call to someone and disconnecting the line after a few rings.
SocialTxt delivered HIV/AIDS educational information and links to treatment resources via a series of “PCM messages delivered over a six-week period.
Key Activities:
According to MobileActive.org, SocialTxt:
- Partnered with HIV911 and South Africa’s National AIDS Helpline. The Helpline delivers counseling and treatment referral services to people suffering from HIV/AIDS
- Delivered mobile instant messages featuring the Helpline’s telephone number to mobile users
Results:
Overall, the pilot project was very successful. Specifically:
- Before the project started, the Helpine was receiving 45,000 calls per month. During the pilot project, calls to the Helpline increased by 136% -- or 1500 calls each day
- 9,000 people used HIV treatment and educational services during the pilot project
Industry:
Healthcare
Primary Communications Discipline:
Social Marketing
Organizations Involved:
Praekelt Foundation, HIV911 and South Africa's National AIDS Helpline
Campaign Dates:
Six weeks during 2007
For More Information:
- MobileActive.org Article: “Please Call Me” Messages With HIV Info: Mobile Social Marketing in South Africa, December 15, 2007,http://mobileactive.org/please-call-me-messages-hiv-info-mobile-social-marketing-south-africa
- The Rules of Beeping: Exchanging Messages Via Intentional "Missed Calls" on Mobile Phones, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, January 2007, http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/donner.html
- HIV and AIDS in South Africa, Advert.org, July 28, 2009, http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm
- SocialTxt Partners and Projects, Prakelet Foundation, http://www.praekeltfoundation.org/socialtxt-partners.html
- World AIDS Day and the Role of Mobile Phones in Combating HIV/AIDS: Project M, MobileActive.org Blog, December 1, 2008, http://mobileactive.org/world-aids-day-and-role-mobile-phones-combatting-hiv-aids-project-m
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