Messages4Men Campaign
Goals: 1) To understand the most appropriate messages for maximizing HIV risk reduction among men who have sex with men, and 2) to determine whether race/ethnicity or other demographics influences message effectiveness
Overview: With CDC, JSI successfully recruited more than 1,000 men of color to participate in Messages4Men: Exploring New Health Information for Our Communities, a study that tested HIV prevention messages with Black and Latino men who have sex with men. Messages4Men was conducted in Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, Kansas City, Missouri, three cities with very different local contexts and LGBTQ communities. To recruit a broad range of participants, JSI developed and implemented locally tailored, multi-channel media plans that included online and print ads in English and Spanish, social media, printed materials, outreach, and word-of-mouth strategies. JSI’s photos, used for online and print advertisements and social media outreach, were of Black and Latino men who have sex with men living in these communities. Because the men were known, this helped legitimize the study and reinforce the local nature of its implementation.
Results: JSI recruited more than 1,000 men of color to participate in the Messages4Men study.
Dates: 2012–2014