My homegirl Nilki shared on Twitter a link to the latest HIV prevention advertisement that Spain has produced. I immediately checked out the 50-second video and was instantly just as impressed as she was. Our quick admiration for the ad was shared by the Summit International Awards which awarded this ad “Best of Show Multi-Channel Campaign.” I learned about the award and the organization that created and produced the advertisement, Coordinadora Gai Lesbiana de Catalunya (CGL), Nilki’s link to the post by blogger Blabbeando.

As I watched the video a few things came to mind: use of slang and language used commonly by the community, code-switching, representing the community, and having an action-oriented message. These were all a part of my wish list for Latin@ teens during Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

Watch the advertisement below. There is profanity that is used so the video may not be safe to view at work.

Blabbeando has shared a translation of the advertisement in English, which reads:

To you, who has fucked us during so many years, who CRUSH us all, young people, older people, women, men, heterosexuals and homosexuals.  To you, ABOMINABLE being… we say…

I wanted to share this with readers here because this is what I would consider an example of an effective marketing campaign that is not only targeting youth but is intergenerational. It is not often that marketing and prevention efforts around and about HIV and AIDS in the media are so accessible and as powerful as this one. I’ve also noticed that many people in the US do not know the history of how the media was/is used to discuss HIV and AIDS especially in the 80s. I find this especially true with the youth I work with today.

What thoughts came up for you as you watched this video? Do you see an opportunity to use this with the community you work with? If so, in what ways do you see utilizing this video to promote discussions? How can we use anger and frustration as motivational and encouraging emotions towards preventing infection of HIV?