Department of Health enlists holiday reps to promote safe sex campaign in resorts

The Department of Health (DoH) is working with holiday reps as part of strategy to promote safe sex during the peak summer holiday season.

The “Condom Essential Wear” campaign, which will target 18to 24-year-olds, will sign up the reps as “advocates” for the cause.

The campaign has been created by integrated agency Iris with the DoH and COI. It will include a number of initiatives in conjunction with Club 18-30-owned travel brands, 2wenties, Escapades and Freestyle.

Iris group account director Alex Goat says: “This campaign focuses on promoting condom use at ‘point of pull’ against a holiday backdrop by utilising the unique position that holiday reps have with their groups.”

The representatives will be provided with 150,000 condoms donated by Durex to give away.

In addition to face-to-face activity, ambient and direct marketing will include ticket wallets, luggage stickers and brochure ads.

The campaign will run during the holiday season until September in resorts popular with 18to 24-year-olds such as Tenerife, Corfu, Zante and Ibiza.

Paul Brewer, head of campaigns at DoH, says: “Our main objective is to promote condom use at the times holidaymakers might be tempted to take risks. Working with some of the leading tour operators for this target group, Iris has created an initiative that catches their attention and gives our audience permission to be responsible.”