Designing the Message for More Impact

With a focus on starting a conversation about PrEP geared towards heterosexual women of color, Mégane Simões, Brand and Marketing Associate at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. (PPMW), was looking for lubricant with credible product packaging to spread awareness and information about PrEP. She found exactly what she needed via Say It With A Condom. Since using these custom lube packs, PPMW has increased the effectiveness of their PrEP engagement significantly. Mégane has continued to order the lube packs to keep PPMW’s PrEP initiative going strong.

The Difference Maker

PrEP is a once daily pill that decreases a patient’s risk of HIV by over 90%. Heterosexual women, especially women of color, have long been overlooked in the discussion of HIV reduction initiatives. Custom lubricant was identified as one way to encourage women in the District to seek out PrEP. Condoms have always been a sex conversation starter and the addition of lube packets reaches individuals who are sexually active without condoms.

PPMW’s PrEP initiative increases conversations about HIV within this overlooked demographic. They educate residents about the high risk of HIV in the District to normalize and increase the interest of PrEP. The lifetime risk for HIV diagnosis, the likelihood a person will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime, is 1 in 13 for D.C.*, the highest in the U.S. The national average is 1 in 99. Increased use of PrEP is a key strategy to prevent the spread of HIV in the District. Planned Parenthood is seeking new and innovative ways to get the information to the populace.