Chukua Selfie campaign missed the mark by a kilometer
Chukua Selfie campaign missed the mark by a kilometer, and this is my humble request to whoever is sponsoring the initiative; it would really be wise of you if you stop wasting money and focus on something constructive like creating jobs for the youth if you’re that wealthy. I don’t know who it is but kindly stop it. I’m tired of skipping your ads, not because I hate them, but because you missed the concept of successful campaign design. Every time, I’m going about my business online, your ads keep popping on my screen, an indication that huge funds have been poured to support this cause.
For nine months now, Kenyans online have at one point or the other come across sponsored Facebook posts and pages, Twitter Hashtags, Tweets, YouTube videos, posters all over the blogs and websites. Even those who don’t have access to digital platforms have watched them on TV, spotted the billboards on the highways or perhaps heard about it on Radio. Ladies and gentlemen, this campaign is going by the slogan Chukua Selfie, which actually means take a Selfie for those who have mobile phones with front cameras.
Most of my friends have been wondering, what the noisy online push is all about, since March when the campaign started up until now; they still post on their WhatsApp status to ask. Well if you didn’t know, it is an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign aimed at encouraging the youth to check their HIV status through self-kit tests. A new report indicates that 22 adolescents countrywide are getting infected with HIV/AIDS daily and six teenagers die daily as a result of the disease, well according to the Ministry of Health. This is a big reason to worry and the concerned bodies and departments should swing to action to control this menace from further spreading.
Personally, I feel Chukua Selfie campaign missed a mark, and the strategist who designed the Chukua Selfie concept did not do any justice to the donors.
One, what does HIV and AIDS testing has to do with taking a selfie? What if I find out that I’m positive, will I still need to take a selfie or look for a pastor to pray for me, obviously because of the kind of depression that am going to get.
Secondly, any advertisement or a campaign that is not easily understood within the first ten seconds is a waste of time and money especially in this age of many ads everywhere, on the billboards, computers, TVs and on the digital platforms, all fighting for attention and recognition.
Campaigns aimed at creating awareness for challenges such as HIV and AIDS, Gender Violence, Drugs, and Substance abuse are supposed to be straight to the point. There is a need to reach a greater audience in the simplest way possible.
If the concerned parties continue pushing without going back to the drawing board to redesign it, I promise you, it will not yield any results at all. The design should aim at achieving results in three things using the simplest ways possible, ie; ignorance, stigma, and fear.
Instead of wasting funds on some online noise that isn’t yielding any results, the organization should better organize a roadshow tours to various parts of the country to create a one on one awareness with the youth about their cause. That would be better.
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