MTV Staying Alive Ignite A Pilot Project

About MTV Staying Alive // Global: MTV is a global media and general entertainment company with young people as our focus. One of MTVs priorities is to engage our audience with social issues that matter to them. We are dedicated to being the leader in prosocial programming and specifically using the power of media to educate on HIV/AIDS. This is why MTV launched the Staying Alive initiative. HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaigning is in MTVs DNA. // A 360 degree content producing campaign: Launched in 1998, Staying Alive uses a 360 degree approach to developing content: on-air (TV), online (web), on-the-ground and other appropriate mediums to reach young people. The campaign has over 10 years experience in creating and delivering award- winning formats for TV and online by translating core HIV/AIDS messages into language and programming that young people understand. // MTV creative and brand edge: The MTV brand is valued at $60m, and is one of the most iconic brands in the world, frequently mentioned as the most valuable brand for young people. MTV sets trends and popular youth culture, and is a leader in creativity. All these things are brought to the Staying Alive work and our partnerships. // Rights-free and at no cost: Unique strategy to get crucial HIV/AIDS messages to the largest audience possible, by offering programming to broadcasters and for youth outreach, at no cost. Staying Alive content reaches 100% of the top 50 HIV/AIDS impacted countries // Partnership driven: Were not the experts when it comes to HIV/AIDS trends and key messages, so we partner with those who are. We bring our technical expertise with media production and reaching young people as well as our broadcast reach, our partners drive the message, take the programme to the grassroots level and offer technical and financial resources to help sustain the campaign.

Objectives // Awareness and prevention: Using our global platform, raising awareness about and prevention of HIV is key component of everything we do // Platform for young people: We use our various touchpoints (on-air, blog, facebook, twitter) to engage with young people and be a platform for them to share their stories, thoughts and experiences // Challenge stigma and discrimination: Using our programming to challenge stigma of condom use and discrimination of PLWA // Empower young people: Through our grant-giving to respond to HIV/AIDS in their communities and through our educational campaigns to protect themselves

MTV Staying Alive Ignite // An integrated comprehensive approach: Ignite was a pilot to test the effectiveness of running a national campaign alongside a global campaign, to reach young people and mobilise them to adopt positive behaviours to reduce exposure to HIV. Ignite was also used to address local issues relating to HIV/AIDS, integrating sexual health with youth social activities and providing a comprehensive campaign consisting of mass media and interpersonal communication. // Piloted in Kenya, Trinidad and Ukraine: Each country consisted of a combination of a TV drama, online, radio, on the ground, capacity building, including training of peer educators and broadcasters. // M&E component: Undertaken by JHU/CCP, to be discussed later. This is an important component to provide evidence that campaigns like this work. Impact evaluation should support scale up.

Scope of Work Development of campaign materials, as follows: // TV Dramas for rights free distribution on local and regional TV: Shuga (Kenya), 3 part series revolving around 6 university friends, explores issues of sexual relationships and the ramifications of sexual decisions. Issues addressed include MCP, transactional sex, testing, stigma, circumcision. Tribes (Trinidad), 3 part series focused on a couple and what happens when one tests positive. Issues addressed including living with HIV, stigma, transactional sex and MCP. Embrace Me (Ukraine) 30min short film around friends, looking at the issue of IDU and HIV/AIDS. // Radio programming to complement the TV long form // Localized website, using a locally based street team of young people to gather and promote local content related to HIV/AIDS and relationships. // Development of Staying Alive in A Box (SAIB) toolkit for effective peer education to reach young people with Staying Alive programming through peer education // SAIB training of trainers and of peer educators working with our youth group partners, on how to use Staying Alive in a Box for peer education. // Training of broadcasters to create HIV/AIDS programming using an entertainment format

Stats // Programming distributed to 100% of Top 50 impacted countries and over 75 broadcasters // Third party households reach: over 583M // MTV households reach: over 640M // Over 50,000 total online views of the shows on Staying Alive site // Over 10,000 people engaged with us and the discussions on the issues on facebook and twitter // 15,000 SAIBs to be distributed // Shuga featured on CNNs African Voices and Variety International, and other media, resulting in over $1million worth of media and pr value

Lessons Learnt

Overall Lessons Learnt Programming // Full integrated campaigns work: Kenya Ignite most successful due in part to Shuga production combined with youth interaction // More than three episodes will have more impact // Dramas work – people relate to it // Radio is a core component and needs to be planned alongside TV development // Need for both mass media and interpersonal communication Marketing and PR // PR and marketing was key in promoting the campaign and messaging // Engaging the audience, through competitions and social media is necessary // Momentum needs to be built and maintained // Actors can be change agents: training actors in key messaging in advance Budget // Its not a cheap initiative. But its a long lasting product that can be used in multiple regions, both on TV and in youth outreach Partnerships // Local partnerships are important to manage local components // MTVs expertise is in producing high quality content, partners use the content on the ground Interaction between intervention and who delivers it: important who communicates the message