Social media algorithms don’t differentiate needed sexual health campaigns from unwanted sexual content. They censor both.  Danish AIDS Foundation (AIDS-Fondet) wanted to move beyond traditional scare tactics and clinical messaging. The conversation about HIV has moved on from the fear-filled ‘80s but a new generation is becoming indifferent to HIV and the urgency of protection is diminishing. So Ogilvy wanted to produce a sex-positive approach to educate a new generation about the benefits of PrEP – a pill that effectively prevents HIV transmission. With the normalisation of hookup apps and mainstream explicit content, casual sex is more accessible than ever before. This unfortunate combination requires a new approach to be in sync with the new generation

To get its message directly to the screens of the younger audience, Ogilvy had to bypass social media. The AIDS-Fondet campaign, PrEP a New Generation by Ogilvy Denmark/Grey Health EMEA, gets as close to showing the benefits of PrEP as the algorithm will allow.

[Sometimes ad ideas don’t pan out: ed]

“The biggest benefit when you’re on PrEP is that you don’t have to fear HIV when you have sex. This message is a stark contrast to the HIV narrative of the past and one that also goes hand-in- hand with today’s views on sex and sexuality,” stated Jacob Matthiesen, senior art director from Ogilvy Denmark/Grey Health EMEA. “That’s why fear or statistics alone couldn’t be used to get the message across. We needed something like sex itself that is exciting and makes people want to take PrEP.”

The PrEP a New Generation campaign is unique in that it pushes the boundaries by simply showing the reality. And because of this, it can reach the places where the target audience really is, from social media to dating apps, in a visual way that aligns with their reality and piques their curiosity.

“This campaign is special because it’s clearly sex-positive. It doesn’t focus on condoms, consequences, transmission routes, symptoms, and all the things we don’t want,” commented Lina Viinberg, senior communications advisor at AIDS-Fondet. “It focuses on what we do want. Namely, more pleasurable and safe sexual experiences. And for some, PrEP can be the means to just that.”

The approach wasn’t without challenges. To be effective, it had to live and thrive on media platforms known for their strict censorship rules and relentless algorithms.

“Despite the movement of sex-positivity on social media, any message can easily get shut down by the algorithm, so you have to be creative without obscuring the intention,” said Camilla Ploug, creative director from Ogilvy Denmark/Grey Health EMEA. “We realized that different degrees of pixelation not only tricked the algorithm but also served as an attention magnet and engaged the viewer in trying to decode the image.”

Depending on the channel, each ad was adjusted just enough to bypass the respective media platform’s algorithm, ensuring that the message reaches the screens of the target audience — and leaving the rest to their imagination.

This approach allowed the message to get across all types of media, including hookup apps, which, contrary to popular belief, have strict ad restrictions.

“It’s still early days for the campaign, but already we’ve managed to effectively change the pixelation on posts that were denied to get it through the algorithm, and we’ve seen a CTR that’s 11 times higher than the benchmark with a 400% increase in interactions,” noted Morten Frederiksen, CEO for Ogilvy Denmark/Grey Health EMEA. “Influencers within the space have also acknowledged the campaign — all good signs that a sex-positive approach has a positive effect. But most importantly, that the campaign is still up and running”.