New Zealand - Hubba campaign a hit: sexual health initiative takes off
Far East and Australasia
New Zealand - Hubba campaign a hit: sexual health initiative takes off
Keywords: Public health, Sexual health, Health services, New Zealand
The Ministry of Health’s sexual health campaign “No Rubba, No Hubba Hubba” seems to have struck a chord with teens. Positive feedback has been received from young people about the campaign – and in particular the campaign jingle. There are even reports of the “hubba” song being sung at parties.
Likewise, the campaign web site (see www.hubba.co.nz)has received over 1.3 million hits since it launched in November 2004.
The campaign aims to reduce high rates of sexually transmitted infections(STIs) in sexually active young people by encouraging them to use a condom every time they have sex. It was launched at Parliament on November 22, 2004 by the Minister of Health, Hon Annette King.
The “No Rubba, No Hubba Hubba” commercial is set at a hip hop party, and features a mixture of animation and “real people”. The campaign uses a variety of media, including television, cinema, radio, outdoor advertising, magazines, print resources and a web site.
Campaign project manager Sally Hughes says the positive feedback from young people shows the benefit of working closely with the target audience when developing a campaign.
“We spent a lot of time talking to 15- to 19-year-olds, before any concepts were developed. We asked them about their knowledge of sexual health issues, and what types of messages they thought would be most effective in delivering the ’use a condom’ message.
Based on the information gathered, an advertising creative team working in consultation with groups of teenagers developed an extensive range of TV commercial concepts. Five concepts were then taken into research with groups of sexually active young people. The groups included Pakeha, Mori, and Pacific youth.
“Of all the concepts tested, ‘No Rubba, No Hubba Hubba’ was the clear winner with young people. They felt it was upbeat, positive and non-judgmental. It clearly spelled out the ‘use a condom’ message.”
Sally Hughes says that there have been a few negative comments about the use of the term “hubba, hubba”, but these have tended to come from adults.
“While some media commentators have seen introducing a new catch phrase as a negative, we definitely see it as a positive, and one of the major strengths of the campaign. Young people are in no doubt as to what ‘No Rubba, No Hubba Hubba’ means!”
Television and radio advertising of “No Rubba, No Hubba Hubba”runs until the end of February 2005. For further information, or to access campaign resources, contact Sally Hughes at the Ministry of Health (e-mail: sally_hughes@moh.govt.nz).
