Elements of Family Planning Success

Using the latest innovations in social marketing, Population Services International (PSI), a U.S.-based nonprofit group, created and implemented youth-oriented programs in Cameroon, Madagascar, and Rwanda to prevent unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, among 15-to-24-year-olds. Research played a critical role in developing the programs strategies and key messages. In addition to advertising products—a common feature of social marketing campaigns—the programs used a creative mix of commercial marketing and interpersonal approaches to motivate young people to either use condoms consistently or not have sex, learn their HIV status, and seek treatment for other sexually transmitted infections.