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Gay and Bisexual Men’s Recommendations for Effective Digital Social Marketing Campaigns to Enhance HIV Prevention and Care Continuity

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Abstract

Because use of geosocial-networking smartphone applications (‘apps’) is ubiquitous among men who have sex with men (MSM), online-to-offline service models that include advertisements on these apps may improve engagement with effective HIV prevention and treatment services. Through our formative qualitative study, we conducted individual in-depth interviews (n = 30) and focus group discussions (n = 18) with MSM in Rhode Island to develop a digital social marketing campaign aimed at increasing HIV testing, including how best to reach men by advertising on apps. Qualitative data analysis revealed that participants were frequently exposed to pop-up advertisements on apps. These advertisements are viewed as invasive and, as such, many expressed a preference for other formats (e.g., direct messages, banner advertisements). Men expressed a preference for provocative images and phrases to catch their attention followed with fact-driven messaging to motivate them to engage with services offline. Findings from this study offer several practical recommendations for developing a social marketing campaign that uses advertisements on apps to increase HIV testing among MSM, including using formats other than pop-up advertisements and pairing fact-driven messaging with eye-catching images to direct them to trusted local clinical services.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded with support from the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health (F31MH121112; R25MH0832620; R34DA042648).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    William C. Goedel

  2. Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Box G-S121-8, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Cassandra Sutten Coats, Jacob J. van den Berg, Philip A. Chan & Amy S. Nunn

  3. Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Genoviva Sowemimo-Coker, Matthew J. Murphy, Jacob J. van den Berg, Philip A. Chan & Amy S. Nunn

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Ethan Moitra

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  1. William C. Goedel
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Correspondence to Amy S. Nunn.

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Goedel, W.C., Sutten Coats, C., Sowemimo-Coker, G. et al. Gay and Bisexual Men’s Recommendations for Effective Digital Social Marketing Campaigns to Enhance HIV Prevention and Care Continuity. AIDS Behav 25, 1619–1625 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03078-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03078-8

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