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Campaign Objectives 89

TA RG E T A U DI E NCE

Programs Hombres and Mujeres target young men and women aged 15 to 24,
mostly from low-income populations. Many of these Mexican teens are already
sexually experienced according to a 2001 report on reducing HIV infection
among youth. This study of 2,064 Mexican students found that 24% of the males
and 7% of the females were sexually active, with more than 90% of those teens
reporting sexual debut before age 15 (Stewart et al. 2001, p. 12).
Both campaigns were informed by substantial target market research. To es-
tablish a baseline for future evaluation of Program H, researchers first analyzed
behavioral data from a representative sample of young men to determine the ex-
tent to which respondents were at risk of HIV. They found young men typically
engaged in a number of risky sexual behaviors, with an average age of 13 for sex-
ual initiation. Almost one-third of sexually experienced youth had had more
than one sexual partner in the previous month. Although condoms were used
almost two-thirds of the time, 25% of respondents reported at least one sexually
transmitted disease or infection (STI) symptom during the three months prior
to the survey. Fewer than 10% had ever taken an HIV test (Hutchinson, Weiss,
Barker, Segundo, & Pulerwitz, 2004, pp. 4–5).
Program M was based on research that began with a review of Latin
American literature to define the concept of female empowerment. Focus group
discussions with groups of young women aged 14 to 24 who lived in marginal-
ized communities outside Queretaro, Mexico, and interviews with empowered
young women defined the cultural expectations that were common in the target
audience (Levack, 2003). One focus group participant is representative of a com-
mon conflict among the young women: “When I was younger, I thought about
getting married and having children. Today, I think more about myself and chas-
ing after my goals” (Instituto Promundo, 2008b).

C A M PA IG N OB J EC TI V ES

Although social marketing is not a theory, it informs and structures its frame-
work using psychology, sociology, anthropology, and communications (Kotler
& Zaltman, 1971, p. 3). The transtheoretical (stages of change) behavioral
change model is one of the persuasive approaches that underlies Programs H
and M because much of the target audience must be moved through early stages
of indecision. The programs begin with knowledge objectives, eventually result-
ing in a shift of basic beliefs about gender equity, and thereby leading to behav-
ior changes.