Zero’s journey will be chronicled through digital media (both photo and video), via social media (e.g., Instagram, X) and other platforms (e.g., billboards, bus ads). In addition to providing information on HIV prevention and treatment, digital media created for the This Way to Zero campaign will be designed to 1) encourage Black GBSGL men to engage with the ChiWellness Portal and 2) recruit those who support Black GBSGL men to engage with the initiative’s Ally Institute.
The This Way to Zero social marketing campaign takes a futuristic approach to laying out a roadmap for ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Black GBSGL men. The campaign is centered around a fictional character known as Zero. Zero represents the first Black GBSGL man to come of age in a world where HIV has effectively been eradicated. Curious about the origins and eventual eradication of a disease that once severely threatened the lives of young men who look and love like him, Zero embarks upon a journey to learn more. Through Zero’s quest, people who engage with the campaign are intentionally educated about the various efforts currently underway to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic both nationally and locally (including pre-exposure prophylaxis and treatment-as-prevention), as well as additional strategies that must be considered if we are to ultimately eradicate the virus.