COI: Anti-Teenage Pregnancy

When this campaign launched in 2005, England had the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe. The intention was to go deeper than the medical facts of contraception – and associate condom use with the most powerful currency among teenagers: respect from their peer group.

We deliberately didn’t brand the campaign, other than with the ‘Want Respect?’ symbol, so that teenagers would not feel that they were being lectured to. And the media was tightly targeted: cinema ads with specific films; niche magazines and music stations; posters in skateparks; postcards in clubs.

The result? 83% recognition. With 58% of teenagers more likely to use a condom. And, by 2009, a 7.5% fall in pregnancies among 15-17 year olds – the lowest level for almost 30 years.