GMFA's health promotion press campaigns

GMFA produce advertising campaigns addressing a broad spectrum of HIV-prevention issues. Independent evaluation shows that, on average, London’s gay men are more likely to recognise GMFA’s HIV prevention campaigns than those of any other agency. While the majority of GMFA’s campaigns have been funded to reach men in London, National recognition data conducted between 2004 and 2006 shows that they have also been successful at reaching a wider audience and achieved all of the top five National recognition scores. GMFA’s campaigns reach up to 47% of the gay population in the UK , and average around 30% coverage. In London, GMFA campaigns reach up to 60% of the gay population and on average achieve 44%. This makes GMFA the most reliable agency at reaching gay men within London and the UK.

All of our mass media campaigns consist of advertisements placed in the gay community press and backed up by further information on our website. Many of the campaigns also feature web banner advertising which appears on gay social-networking and dating sites.

Here are some examples from the last year:

GMFA's HIV Detector Campaign was designed to encourage men to think about the ways they establish someone’s HIV status and to use condoms to avoid sexual risks. The ads, featuring a makeshift HIV detector, highlight the uncertainty of knowing a guy’s status for sure. Gay men are more likely to have unprotected anal intercourse with partners they know have the same HIV status as themselves. However, studies have shown that around 40% of HIV negative men who say they ‘know’ their partner’s HIV status are in fact guessing. And with around a third of gay men with HIV not knowing that they are infected, trusting that someone will be able to tell you their HIV status can be risky.

The Under the Influence campaign focuses on drugs and alcohol. It was designed to acknowledge the disinhibitory effects of both of these whilst informing men that they are still able to maintain safer sex behaviour whilst under the influence of either. It provides useful advice to encourage men to plan ahead and think about safer sex before they drink or take drugs. In order to reach a wide audience, the campaign has different executions for men who drink alcohol, for men who take drugs and for men that do both of these.

Our Reason’s for Safer Sex campaign prompts men to consider their reasons for adopting or maintaining safer sex strategies. It utilises HIV positive and HIV negative men’s personal motivations for maintaining safer sex to promote and encourage sexual safety amongst all gay men. Part of the campaign features user generated content - gay men are encouraged to send in their own reasons for safer sex. We received a great deal of considered, thought provoking and personal reasons for safer and these featured on our Myspace site.

Click to see GMFA press campaigns from the last seven years.