There are over 316 900 new HIV infections in SA every year. This can be largely attributed to the casual attitude many have when it comes to sex. Brothers For Life, a South African Campaign, wanted to demonstrate in a powerful and impactful way, how easy it is to pick up and transfer the HIV virus when people don’t take precautions.

The campaign was directed at the social and technologically savvy young people of today. In order to create the desired impact, it specifically targeted them by capitalising on something they are familiar, with in an unexpected way.

A similarity between the HIV virus and a computer virus is that both can be unknowingly transferred and spread due to casual behaviour. Brothers For Life wanted to create an impactful message aimed at the youth, to inform them of the ease at which a virus can be transferred, when precautions aren't taken. What better way than to use technology, most notably a 'system', with which they are familiar, to illustrate how their casual behaviour can result in infection.

On World Aids Day, we planted 200 memory sticks branded with names around Johannesburg City Centre. Because a memory stick has a sole function, when it was inevitably picked up and inserted into a computer, the user was confronted by a video clip. Featuring a message from the HIV positive person they’d so casually and unknowingly picked up, it drives home how easy it is to pick up a virus. The video calls for people to actively take charge in the fight against HIV and requests that the sticks be returned to a public place, for others to pick up.

Every one of the 200 memory sticks we planted was picked up. Given the nature of this idea, it it impossible to track exactly how many times our memory sticks were passed on, but if this campaign could change even one person’s mindset when it comes to casual sex in a country like South Africa, and compel them to use a condom, we’d consider it successful.