Balbir Pasha : The Baadshah of Aids Campaigns in India

<<Previous Page

2. “Post-campaign research revealed that the campaign had made an impact on the target group and changed their attitudes toward risky behavior.” How did PSI try to bring about a behavioral change in the target audience?

Initially, the Balbir Pasha campaign created an intrigue to attract the target audience to the campaign. By depicting the personality traits that matched those of the target audience, Balbir Pasha made a connection with the beliefs and lifestyle of the target audience. Thus the campaign connected with the self-concept that the target audience had about themselves.

The campaign utilized that connection to explain facts about HIV/AIDS and the behavioral risks associated with the lifestyle of Balbir Pasha. Soon the campaign started focusing on the self-concept that an individual would like to sustain through his life. The campaign told the audience that Balbir Pasha was in the group of high-risk individuals.

After providing reliable facts, the campaign soon connected with the concept of the self in the individual which aimed at sustainability by carrying out the message, ‘I don't want to become Balbir Pasha. What should I do?'By giving helpline numbers, motivating them to make a call, and making them aware of high-risk behaviors and the ways in which they could reduce the risk, the campaign tried to bring about a behavioral change among the target audience.