Harnessing social media, influencers, and community-engagement to confront HIV-related stigma: implementation and evaluation of the DiME campaign

Mitigating HIV-related stigma is crucial to improving outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH) and reaching global HIV targets. We designed and implemented a Spanish-language community-engaged social marketing campaign to address HIV-related stigma among young people in Peru, and examined the feasibility of working with influencers to disseminate campaign content. Based on formative community-engaged research with young PLWH, we developed social media content addressing common myths and stereotypes regarding HIV, encouraging empathy for PLWH, and normalizing conversations around testing, prevention and treatment. Additionally, we hired seven top Peruvian influencers (four lifestyle influencers, one physician, one reality television star, and one newscaster) to create and post content aligning with these themes from their accounts. 78 Peruvian (unpaid) micro-influencers were invited to disseminate content. All content was reviewed and approved by a community advisory board prior to posting. The campaign occurred over five months in 2024. We created and posted 49 videos to the campaign Instagram and TikTok accounts, yielding 1,475,918 views, 1,462 comments, and 63,488 likes. The campaign generated 2,206 Instagram followers and 11,800 TikTok followers, 46% of whom were in Peru. The five top posts created by the content creation agency and study team received 742,314 views, 1,108 comments, and 50,071 likes, while the five top influencer posts had a total of 2,484,934 views, 1,079 comments, and 129,258 likes. 30 unpaid micro-influencers reposted content. We received 512 direct messages inquiring about HIV services, requesting HIV-related information, or sharing personal experiences. Social media is a powerful tool for disseminating anti-stigma messaging. Collaboration with influencers to disseminate content was feasible and effective in expanding reach.