Design and results of the promotional campaign for the “Understanding pre-exposure prophylaxis modalities for HIV prevention in European communities” (PROTECT) survey

Understanding how men who have sex with men, transgender and non-binary (MSMTNB) people can be engaged in HIV prevention research is critical for ongoing collaboration with these key communities. A campaign was developed in 2023 to market an online survey to European MSMTNB participants. Key campaign elements included: a project logo, a slogan, a cohesive and consistent design, a website, and images tailored to target groups for promotion across social media, dating apps and hard copy. 15,458 MSMTNB participants completed the survey, 55% via a link found on dating apps and 38% from social media. Promotion on dating apps (click through rate (CTR) = 9.0%) was more effective than on social media (CTR = 2.1%). However, participants were more likely to complete the survey had they arrived at the survey via social media advertisements. MSMTNB are not “hard to reach” communities if promotional efforts are targeted.