Preconceived notions and misinformation about HIV/AIDS have increased among young people since 2009. They no longer feel affected by HIV and don’t take measures to inform themselves : 1 in 3 young people think HIV can be transmitted through kissing, for instance. It was therefore urgent to put a stop to these misconceptions - and the HIV-phobia that goes with it - by targeting young people first, and a larger public simultaneously.

With the simple but complex mission to deliver the truth about HIV/AIDS, we observed their habits and behaviors on online and social media. We know that they no longer get their information from traditional newspaper media, but on entertaining and social platforms, and that they are more likely to believe what they see in a video on social media than in an article.

How do you stop the propagation of misinformation when young people aren’t informed and do nothing to find out about HIV? By click-baiting the truth… Sidaction launched the “Clicks Of Temptation” campaign - clickbait content to deliver the truth about HIV.

We created 5 clickbait videos by getting scientists to interrupt the most trashy content with a message of truth about HIV. All the information was skillfully disseminated on the web to deliver information to young people.

An awareness-raising campaign that infiltrates the places where young people get their information and recreates clickbait content to embed the truth about HIV and to better fight prejudice. With the participation of the French singer/actress Shy'm and the French influencer Shera, the campaign takes a "prank" approach to 5 of the most clickable types of content, inserting truthful and essential information about HIV.

For once on the Internet, it was clickbait for good.

Who hasn't been tempted by clickbait content - sometimes funny or seductive, always racy… and often false? Today, 75% of young people get their information from the Internet. At a time when the distinction between what's true and what's false is becoming more complicated, particularly on social networks, fake news is gaining in clicks and massively capturing the attention of young people: 70% of 18-24 year-olds adhere to fake news.

With the partnership of 2 well-known influencers, we reproduced clickbait videos using the typical codes, environments and characters of this type of content to infiltrate the web by spreading these assets to every possible clickbait touchpoint.

Embedding the truth where they click most, we were able to capture our target’s attention, to better inform them and deliver truthful information without them even looking for it. There was also a dedicated website where they could find all the information they needed.

The campaign took place on December, 1st, for World AIDS day. There was a wide media strategy in order to virally spread our clickbait content and show up on the feeds of as many people as possible. Central to our strategy were social media relays on the official accounts of our partnering influencers, massive broadcasting on Meta, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and a strategic presence through targeted banners and native ads on French websites that matched the themes of our videos. Through these outlets, we organized and orchestrated real promotional campaigns via 5 seemingly-clickbait videos: a fake miracle product, some fake gossip news, a fake ghost video, a fake reality TV drama, and a fake talking dog.

Ultimately, the "Clicks of Temptation" campaign effectively got people clicking:

- 3 million euros earned media, which is +120% compared to last year

- 270 coverage in French and European media

- 47.1M impressions (people exposed to the campaign) + 191% comparing to last year

- 1M organic videos views

- 8.6M cumulative video views across all platforms

And the campaign also redirected visitors to a real news website:

- 8.8 million clicks on the site and clips

- 105k unique visitors to the campaign site

By playing on typical internet-related codes, this campaign generated conversations about HIV prevention and screening, and also dismantled preconceived ideas. All the comments and responses on social media showed us that young people in particular, and a larger public in general, successfully captured the campaign’s message and were impacted by the entertaining form we choose to create.