Namibia
October 2022 – present
Background
Namibia has improved its HIV treatment efforts but struggles to engage males aged 20–34 in HIV services. The Ministry of Health and Social Services planned to develop a Men’s Health Campaign to support the MenStar strategy. Inspired by successful private sector approaches promoting HIV testing and treatment among men, USAID sought to support the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services in determining if a similar campaign could be customized to the Namibian context.
With support from Project Last Mile, USAID collaborated with Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Namibian AIDS Coordination Program. The aim was to develop a brand for men’s health behavior change targeting the gaps in HIV testing and treatment among men aged 20–34 who are unaware of their HIV status. Our approach used insights from Project Last Mile’s marketing work in Africa to adapt universal truths and campaign elements to the local context.
Leveraging The Coca-Cola System’s approach of tailoring brands and messaging to local contexts, Project Last Mile enlisted a research agency to conduct a consumer study testing the messaging, visuals, and key insights for brand development by a creative agency. The resulting brand, named “AME. For Men. For Health,” underwent testing in 2023. A selection of materials used in this research are shown below. Results and recommendations will be shared in 2024. Learnings from this project can be shared with other countries facing similar challenges in brand adaptation for public health campaigns.
This information originally appeared in the 2023 Annual Report.