Jo Bola Wohi Sikander campaign

Kabaddi, a team sport which originated in the Indian subcontinent is king of the latest 'Jo Bola Wohi Sikander' campaign.

The sport consists of two teams of seven players occupying opposite halves of a field. Chanting the name kabaddi, whilst provoking the opposition during play is a crucial aspect of game.

The campaign's TV advert shows a kabaddi match in which the protagonist wins the match by chanting 'condom' instead of kabaddi.

Watch and listen to the TV and radio adverts

The focus of the campaign is to get men to talk about condoms, as this has a positive effect on use, and positions condoms as a product that men use to show they are responsible and care about themselves and their families.

Interactivity

An SMS (short message service) opinion vote has been published in print media around the core message. The print advert concludes that 'smart men talk about condoms’ and readers are encouraged to text 'yes' or 'no' in relation to the statement.

In six newspapers across four states, an average of 89% readers responded with a 'yes' to the text vote.

Campaign

The 'kabaddi' advert is the second phase of the 'Jo Bola Wohi Sikander' (Those Who Talk are Winners) campaign. It will run across TV, radio, cinema, outdoor and print over a six week period.

The first campaign, which launched in December 2007, used a riddle with the enticement of winning a mobile phone and free talk time to get people talking about condoms. It reached 52 million men in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It was the first of its kind in the country.

The first phase executed successfully with nearly 400,000 people participating in an exciting contest that was seen and heard on TV, radio and outdoor billboards.

With approximately 2.5 million people living with HIV in India, the focus of the overall campaign is to make condoms more socially acceptable.

The project is funded by a $6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Research

Research shows that men who talk about sex are more likely to use condoms consistently.

A baseline survey has already been carried out in the four target states to assess existing knowledge, attitudes and practices related to condoms.

An endline survey will be carried out at the end of the campaign to measure progress on increasing positive attitudes and changing behaviour around condom use among men.

Read about the first contest, which launched on World Aids Day 2007

Read more about Research & Learning