Two Should Know
An Initiative of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation’s Two Should Know initiative seeks to encourage open and honest conversations between teens and parents on the topic of healthy relationships and sexuality. Because the initiative targets two distinct demographics with very different media consumption patterns, we needed to identify the right platforms (media types), using the right message (unique to teens and parents but having an identical focus) and with the right timing (taking into account seasonal behavioral risk factors). A fundamental part of our strategy was to rebuild (and apply a new brand image) to the program’s website. The site was completely re-designed after lying dormant for several years. All ads were directed to the website as it presented our best opportunity to measure engagement and interest among our target population.
After six months of intense research and development involving the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and technical advisors from Texas A&M and Texas State University, we designed behavior change campaigns that would reach culturally and generationally diverse audiences over the course of several years.
“Let’s Talk”
In Phase I of the project, CultureSpan Marketing created a campaign targeting the notoriously hard-to-reach teen population. The creative was developed using a social norming construct, which sought to normalize “The Talk,” presenting this conversation as something positive, non-judgmental and initiated by youth. The creative featured multi-cultural teens in an upbeat and energetic setting exploring ideas about sexuality and ending with the bold statement directly to adults, “Seriously… let’s talk.” The media strategy for this segment was based primarily on digital placement using :15 video on YouTube and other online channels. The video pre-roll was further supported by a behavioral and contextual digital campaign reaching teens where they live and play online. Large out-of-home banners were strategically placed in Cielo Vista Mall in high traffic areas where youth were known to gather. Diversity in talent, media placement and messaging were key drivers behind this part of the campaign.
“Teachable Moments”
The adult-facing campaign, which was launched simultaneously with the teen component, utilized television, radio, outdoor and digital display and email executions. The creative was directed specifically to parents and adult figures such as grandparents and extended family who play an important role in helping with child upbringing. This targeting was extremely important given the importance of shared parenting that is pervasive in the Hispanic culture. The campaign, titled “Teachable Moments,” took an altogether different approach to encouraging adults to speak to their children about healthy sexuality, a topic that is traditionally taboo among many Hispanics. Instead of using negative outcomes, such as sexually transmitted infections or early teen pregnancy rates as motivators, we promoted positive, educational interactions. The goal was to encourage adults to see this important discussion as being like any of the other important topics that we teach our children, be it safety, manners or hygiene. This campaign was implemented in English and Spanish through multi-channel media mentioned above.
“Every Conversation Counts”
In Phase II of the marketing initiative, we were given the challenge of creating one campaign that would simultaneously reach adults as a primary target and teens as a secondary target. All new creative assets were developed for Phase II using the slogan, “Every Conversation Counts.” We also ran a mirror campaign in Spanish using the slogan, “Cada Platica Cuenta.” We utilized a Total Market approach in this execution and used talent who were easily interchangeable as Hispanic and Anglo. They were also equally adept at speaking both languages. This bilingual, multi-channel campaign utilized a number of media types including, print ads, digital display, social media in-feed ads, bilingual email, radio and TV.
“Reel Talk”
The third component of the Two Should Know marketing strategy, which was launched in conjunction with traditional and new media placement, was to develop a unique advertisement to be viewed exclusively in theater settings. The concept, known as "Reel Talk", seeks to encourage parents, especially those who may not be confident in their ability to broach the subject of healthy sexuality, to use popular, appropriately themed movies as a vehicle to start their conversations with their children. We developed an ADDY Award winning spot based on a parody of the cult classic Sixteen Candles, which was purposely selected for its content and popularity between both target audiences. This creative was humorous and light-hearted, which was at once disarming and educational.
We also developed a companion piece to the Reel Talk in-theater commercial that was targeted exclusively to teen audiences. This execution hinged on a large movie-style poster that promoted what appeared to be the latest teen movie. The movie poster creative was convincing in its portrayal of teen angst, parental distrust and real-life situations concerning relationships and young love. This poster was strategically placed in areas around movie theaters in Sunland Park Mall during the peak summer movie going season.
Campaign measurement is extremely important to all of our strategies and we’ve been very successful in identifying key metrics, even in cases such as these where there is no discernable actionable conversion or purchase to analyze. The Two Should Know initiative has experienced a tremendous increase in awareness as indicated by website analytics with more daily visitors, page views, sessions, video views and time on site. We’ve also analyzed increases among youth and adults and determined which devices they used most to access our content along with which keywords were used most. This provides valuable insights into what type of information people in our region are searching for and what kind of creative content should be developed.