Levi Strauss’s ongoing HIV youth awareness campaign, ”Red for Life”, has taken a surprising turn with the announcement that it intends giving away tickets to a concert to youngsters who take HIV tests.
The tests, at branded Levi’s mobile testing centres, will be situated in public places from October 14. The concert, Rage for the Revolution, is to be staged in and around Newtown, Johannesburg, on October 28. Acts include Bongo Maffin and Malaika.
MD of Levi Strauss South Africa Mike Joubert said the company is engaging its ”core target market” by launching the world’s first branded voluntary counselling and testing campaign, called Work it Out for Yourself.
Partner in the campaign is the NGO New Start, supported by the health department and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Scott Billy, New Start director, said his organisation was approached by Levi Strauss and described the tickets-for-testing plan as ”a great idea”.
He acknowledged that by giving out tickets ”Levi wants to reward people who go for testing. They want to create some kind of social movement.”
The initiative will also be taken on the stage at the concert, as the artists will themselves be tested and counselled, and communicate their experiences to the audience.
A key part of the testing procedure will be the counselling youngsters undergo before and after their tests. Psychologist and consultant Thulani Glenville-Grey, who designed the messaging and helped train New Start counsellors, said: ”Levi is not saying ‘have a free ticket if you test’, but ‘if you test, here’s a free ticket’. It is nuanced.”
”Readiness is a huge concern and part of pre-counselling. If the counsellor feels that someone isn’t ready to test, then they won’t test.”
In South Africa children under the age of 14 cannot be tested without parental consent, and those who appear to be under-age will have to furnish proof of their age. Levi’s Red for Life campaign is also offering access to a treatment referral programme and four months of free counselling.