1

Teenage Pregnancy and

Sexual Health Marketing Strategy

























November 2009

Produced by Partners Andrews Aldridge and Fuel Data Strategies on behalf of the
Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

2

Executive Summary

1. Public information campaigns have traditionally played an important role
supporting teenage pregnancy and sexual health policy and have no doubt
contributed to the progress that has been made to date (for example reducing the
under 18 conception rate by 10.7% and under 18 conceptions leading to birth by
23% since 1998, and significantly raising awareness of STIs and the importance of
condom use).

2. However, teenage pregnancy and sexual health policies have evolved in recent years
as more is understood about both the causes of the problems and the strategies that
help to address them for example, new policy initiatives include increasing
investment in contraceptive services and choice, introducing the National Chlamydia
Screening Programme, access to GUM clinics, supporting HIV programmes for the
most at-risk population groups and strengthened joint working between Local
Authorities and PCTs to implement teenage pregnancy and sexual health policy.

3. Consequently, a review of the relevant public information campaigns (Condom
Essential Wear, RU Thinking and Want Respect) has been conducted in order to
assess how communication can best support this new policy environment. Learning
from behaviour change theory, research on risk factors, and the evidence on what
works in practice have been used as the foundations of a new marketing and
communications strategy. This sets out the implications for the public information
campaigns supporting teenage pregnancy and sexual health.

4. Behaviour change theory highlights the many factors over and above personal
attitudes and beliefs, which influence young peoples sexual behaviour. Social norms
and peer pressure, perceived behavioural control (self efficacy) and risk images all
play an important role in shaping both behavioural intention and, in young and/or
inexperienced young people, behavioural willingness. These factors are, in turn,
influenced by a wide range of informants including parents and healthcare
professionals, the media and society/culture in general. A key finding is that rather
than influencing sexual behaviour directly, the impact of these factors is mediated by
preparatory sexual behaviours, namely communication or talking with ones
partner, accessing free contraception and carrying condoms. Consequently, it is
recommended that the marketing strategy focuses on influencing these preparatory
behaviours rather than sex itself, and where possible, does so by influencing
multiple factors. This will require an approach that reaches a broader audience than
past campaigns have targeted, including not just young people but their parents,
health care professionals, teachers and the wider youth workforce.

5. The evidence for what works in practice comes from three sources: studies of sex
and relationships education programmes, international experience and some of the
more innovative social marketing programmes taking place across the UK. The key
conclusion from SRE is that successful programmes tackle multiple levers of
influence and often engage multiple audiences (e.g. young people and their parents).
The international evidence from countries such as the Netherlands, which has a
strong track record in tackling the issues, highlights the role of creating open and
honest discussion and building a culture that frames sexual behaviour among young
people as a normal part of their development. Creating a fundamental change in UK
culture will not be easy. However, by normalising safer sexual practices (and
promoting open and honest discussion about them), a broader culture change could
play an important role in tackling teenage pregnancy and poor sexual health in
3
England. Finally, the success of some regional social marketing programmes
suggests the potential for local campaigns of this sort to reach at risk groups who
are not easily engaged by more conventional forms of marketing and
communication.

6. Further evidence for using more intense social marketing interventions to support
the highest risk groups comes from closer analysis of their behaviours and attitudes.
A number of different segmentations describe the at-risk audiences, and a clear
finding from these studies is that the young people in these groups often present
with multiple risk factors such as poor engagement in school, poor relationships
with their parents and misuse of alcohol and/ or illicit drugs, in addition to risky
sexual behaviours. These young people often require support in many areas of their
lives and therefore interventions targeting high-risk young people are usually more
intense than for other groups, and reflect their multiple vulnerabilities.
Consequently, communication alone is probably unlikely to have a significant, direct
influence on the sexual behaviour of the highest-risk individuals; rather it can be
used to shape the attitudes of parents, teachers and peers, who have more power to
influence the behaviour of the highest risk individuals.

7. Drawing together the insight from these multiple sources, it is recommended that
the marketing and communications strategy aims to influence a wider audience, and
address a broader range of factors relating to sexual behaviour, with the overall aim
being to act as a catalyst for culture change: creating a more open, positive, supportive
and respectful backdrop against which a range of policy interventions can happen.

8. In line with this overall aim, a new model for marketing and communications is
recommended. It defines three complementary objectives:
i. Communications can help prevent teenage pregnancies and poor
sexual health by promoting the attitudes, knowledge and
communications skills that make safer sexual practices more likely
ii. Communications can help protect individuals from the
consequences of risky sexual behaviour by encouraging protective
behaviours (such as screening and more effective contraception
methods)
iii. Marketing can provide intensive support for the most vulnerable
and at risk groups through marketing-led interventions designed
around their specific service and communications needs.

9. To deliver against these three objectives, five campaign strands or work streams are
proposed:
Knowledge and understanding will focus on asserting social norms and
promoting areas of consensus, e.g. the fact that the majority of young people are
not sexually active before 16 and that both parents and young people broadly
agree on an appropriate age for first sex. It will also give people the facts about
sexual health and teenage pregnancy, and dispel some of the myths that
currently exist
Communication and negotiation will aim to promote more discussion
between and within audience groups - for example, helping parents and children
talk more effectively, and encouraging couples to talk more about contraception
A strand relating to chlamydia screening will promote the screening
programme whilst continuing to reinforce the message that chlamydia is
asymptomatic in many cases but has serious consequences
4
A campaign around contraceptive choice aims to increase awareness of the
range of effective contraceptives available to women, particularly newer and less
familiar forms such as LARCs
Finally, condom use will be promoted as a secondary message in all
communications and further supported through a below the line campaign to
increase access to and carrying of condoms (e.g. by expanding the programme of
partnerships)
It is envisaged that knowledge and understanding, and communication and
negotiation will contribute to the prevention objective, whereas the last three
strands will contribute to the protection objective. Mass market communication is
unlikely to be used to support the third objective - delivering intensive support. The
activity that contributes towards this objective is more likely to comprise very
targeted campaigns that are experiential in nature, are integrated where possible
with SRE in both schools and out of school settings, and including engagement with
NHS services as a core part of the intervention.

10. The campaign will target multiple audiences. Young people and teenagers remain
the most important audience - those under 16/not sexually active require an
authoritative information source on all aspects of sex and relationships but
especially one that stresses the importance of delaying early sex and of mutually
agreed consensual sexual activity until they are ready, in conjunction with accurate
information about contraception and practical help to resist peer pressure.
Information about chlamydia screening and effective contraception use are key
issues for those over 16/ sexually active. In addition to young people, parents and
carers are a critical audience given their influence over the younger age group. Their
core need is for help communicating effectively and accurately about sex and
relationship issues with their children. Finally, healthcare practitioners and other
stakeholders in touch with young people, play a vital role in coordinating and
delivering services, and are a critical audience to engage to ensure that there is
consistency of message from campaign through to service delivery.

11. As well as conveying specific messages to relevant groups, communications can help
create a sum of the parts effect that will catalyse broad cultural change through the
creation of a single campaign identity and information resource, which is accessible
to all audience groups and promotes and encourages open discussion of the issues.
The umbrella identity will be based on the concept that more talk = safer sex and
better relationships . By anchoring the campaign identity around talking, the aim is
to encourage one of the key preparatory behaviours identified in behaviour change
theory, and to promote discussion and debate among all audiences.

12. Creatively, this idea will be dramatised through conversations about topics relating
to sexual behaviour to show that sex and relationships are Worth talking about. It
is anticipated that this campaign idea will work in a way that is similar to Change 4
Life, carrying the multiple messages to different audiences and in conjunction with a
range of different delivery partners (e.g. the NHS, LAs, Brook, FPA, Terrence Higgins
Trust, and other relevant NGOs).

A revised channel strategy is required that makes the campaign more visible to a
wider audience using the full spectrum of broadcast channels. In addition, there is
also a need to deliver highly targeted messages to specific audiences through trusted
and credible channels. This will be achieved through a three-staged process
designed to increase the quantity and quality of conversations about sex and
relationships - using a mix of broadcast (TV, radio, PR) and more
5
discrete/narrowcast channels including digital advertising and search, and
extensive partnership and stakeholder activities.

13. A full range of key performance indicators have been defined to enable
comprehensive monitoring of the campaigns progress and evaluation of its
outcomes.

14. In summary, the revised marketing communications strategy for teenage pregnancy
and sexual health sets out a vision for how communication can be used to shape an
open, honest and respectful culture, in which multiple messages are conveyed using
a new campaign identity to engage young people, their parents and stakeholders.
Annual plans for the next three years will follow this strategy, taking into account
policy priorities, and budget constraints. In so doing, communication will continue
to play a vital role in supporting the Governments teenage pregnancy and sexual
health strategies.