RAPP UK has created a campaign to drive awareness for mothers2mothers, a health charity working across 10 sub-Saharan African countries.
The campaign, ‘Don’t Buy It’, revolves around a special stall set up in a bustling Ghanaian marketplace. The intent is to bust the myths and misinformation surrounding sexual health, HIV, and pregnancy common among young people in Ghana. These myths contribute to challenges including unacceptably high rates of HIV and unintended pregnancies, which in turn hold young people back from achieving their full potential.
The stall displays a range of #DontBuyIt branded products carrying myth-busting messages: #DontBuyIt shower gel, for example, bears the message: “If you were told a quick shower cleans off any HIV, it’s a myth. Don’t buy it!” #DontBuyIt branded drinking glasses say: “Drinking ice cold water after sex can’t stop you getting pregnant. Don’t buy it”.
The Don’t Buy it stall is run by the charity’s Mother Mentors—young women living with HIV, trained and paid as community health workers—who are on hand to offer help and advice, under the slogan ‘The stall that sells nothing. Except the truth’. Visitors can engage with the Mentor Mothers, access their advice and support, and be linked to ongoing services both in-person and through mothers2mothers WhatsApp chatbot.
To learn more, we spoke to Strategy Director Lily Tidy.
What was the brief?
In sub-Saharan Africa, young girls are told they can’t catch HIV if they shower after sex. So maybe it’s not surprising there’s a new infection every two minutes. They’re also told that a glass of cold water is effective against becoming pregnant. And sadly, one girl in five becomes pregnant during adolescence. Girls are trapped in a in a cycle of misinformation that’s sexist, ageist, racist.
mothers2mothers is a charity that provides safe spaces and medical support for sexual health. Women empowering women and delivering door-to-door healthcare services to improve the health of communities across ten African nations.
Our brief was to raise awareness of m2m among young girls and start busting these harmful myths and misinformation that are perpetuated by their peers, their families – even their churches and governments.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
This was a collaborative process working closely with mothers2mothers and the on the ground team in Ghana. This was a first for them, being able to work with a creative experience agency, so we worked together to refine the brief, target audience and approach.
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
For a lot of pro-bono work we do at RAPP, we like to create an open brief. This means the whole creative department can choose to work on the brief and throw ideas out there. The Don’t Buy It stall was one of many ideas that we took to mothers2mothers and the one we decided to refine and build together.
What was the production process like?
We were keen to use a Ghanaian director and crew. Everything from recce to set build to post-production was done by Accra based professionals. Because we didn't know how people would react to the stall, we needed to be flexible and the script was developed on a daily basis (though with a proposed structure before we started out).
We asked to film in a local hospital and school but we needed to be agile because we only got permissions at the last minute.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
Budget and timing.
With very little budget and a short timeline we need to rally a tight team both in Ghana and the UK. WhatsApp groups, evening Teams calls, and a bunch of dedicated individuals are responsible for delivering this project.
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
- Camera: Fujifilm XH2S (ProRes 422 HQ) 4K 25p
- Sound: Sennheiser G4 Lavalier microphones
- Gimbal: DJI Ronin
- Editing: Premire Pro and After effect
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
The stall attracted a great deal of media attention. Our art director, who was very keen to remain out of the limelight, ironically ended up being the only production team member on camera when the stall was covered in the GBC evening news.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
Don’t buy the myths, buy the facts.
Myths have been perpetuating in the community in Ghana for decades and this campaign was the first of its kind to go head-to-head with them and call them out as not just incorrect, but dangerous.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
It took over 6 months working with the client and adolescent mentors in Ghana to define the brief, objectives, and strategy and then just 2 months to deliver the stall in Accra, Ghana.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
Saving lives from day one.
And recognition of mothers2mothers as a single source of truth for sexual health in sub-Sahara Africa.
Credit list for the work?
- Creative team: Paul McCarroll & Anthony McGinty
- Executive Creative Director: Jason Cascarina
- Designer: Steph Bryan-Kinns
- Strategist: Lily Tidy
- Client Partnership lead: Claire Perkins, Joe Mills
- Producer: Steph Hottlet and Marietta Theodorakopoulou
- Motion lead: Oz Osborne
- Motion designer: Abhi Kamalanathan
