Verizon underwrites AIDS Personal Public Service Announcement Project

Can you hear me now?
Over a quarter of a million people in the US are infected with HIV and don’t know it.
Can you hear me now?
With early detection before AIDS develops, an HIV-infected person can expect to live at least 20 years. AIDS is now a chronic manageable condition.
Can you hear me now?
Without detection, an HIV infected person suffers extreme health problems, is more expensive to treat, and is at greater risk to communicate the virus.
Can you hear me now?
We have already lost too many young people because they just didn’t know their HIV-status.
Can you hear me now?

Yeah, the Verizon commercials were catchy. The nerdy guy constantly testing the network every few steps.
Can you hear me now?
Part joke part mantra, it became the millennial version of “Where’s the beef?” (remember that one?) But that slogan also resonates for communicators working to hard to get their message through to young people. With all the distractions and all the new communication channels, capturing a young person’s attention to help them is a daunting task. Anyone that has tried to teach a teenager has mumbled,
For heaven’s sake, can you hear me now?

Now Verizon is partnering with us explore new ways to deliver information that can help young people and the ones they love live longer. Their is taking on all new meaning!

Months ago, I wrote in this space about our AIDS Personal Public Service Announcement project (http://www.nmi.uga.edu/aids_ppsa/). I am part of a crazy smart team from UGA, the University of South Carolina, Temple University, the CDC, and ARCA (the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta) that has dreamed up a project to explore how we can get important messages to young audiences. Young people today are spending less time with TV and radio and more time with the internet, videogames, iPods, and cell phones. Out ream wants to investigate ways to create a new type of message using these new channels to change young people’s lives. We are going to create video messages to be pushed to cell phones encouraging young people to be tested for HIV. We call them Personal Public Service Announcements because they are using our most personal media for public good.

And, as if that wasn’t challenge enough, we designed a new way to create the messages using mobile video technology and wireless. Yep, creating mobile media using mobile media.

We designed a project to challenge ourselves. We are bringing together student teams to create short video messages encouraging HIV testing. These teams will work with professional directors, but these directors will only be available via cell phone, text messaging, and wireless videoconferencing. And just to make this difficult task darn near impossible, the teams would have just one day to create their one-minute Personal Public Service Announcements. The whole thing would take place on 11/7/07 the day before the International Digital Media and Arts Association (iDMAa) conference in Philadelphia -- more on that below. We will debut the videos at a celebratory event the night of 11/7/07. And if we survive, we will learn a ton.

Now normally, when academics envision a project like this, we don’t start until we have the funds to make it happen. But our team is so committed to this idea, we can’t wait. We started working and gave someone the task of finding the resources. Since I am not a techno-guru, videographer, or AIDS expert, I got that job. Those who can’t do, fund-raise, right? I started sending out feelers to groups and companies that I thought might provide some of the funds the project requires. Yeah, some of you have been on the receiving end of those emails, right? It is an intricate dance to a slow beat. I counted on sending multiple emails to get possible funders interested. But Chris Jones emailed me right away. He is a Grady Grad who is Verizon’s Executive Director of Public Policy for the southern region (he has the enviable job of working with legislatures). He knew Verizon would be interested. He set up meetings and in just a couple of weeks, I was pitching the idea to a Verizon team. They seemed interested enough and I thought they would probably contribute something to make the project happen. But I was surprised when Julie Smith (Verizon’s Regional Director of External Affairs for the Southern Region) called from her car just 30 minutes after leaving to tell me that Verizon wanted in. And they wanted to underwrite the entire project. And, not only would they give the necessary funds, they also wanted to provide the phones, connectivity and the expertise necessary to make the project happen. When I asked her to repeat her offer (the Verizon connection was crystal clear but I wanted to make sure I heard correctly) she told me that Verizon is committed to exploring the ways their products and services can make a positive difference in people’s lives. Using mobile media to help young people live longer is an effort that Verizon wants to support.

Can you hear me now?

So now, thanks to Verizon’s generous support, we are going to make the AIDS Personal Public Service Announcement Project happen on Wednesday, November 7th in Philadelphia. Many of you have already volunteered to help. Hold on to your seat, it is going to be a wild ride. If you are interested in helping, let me know. There are plenty of things to do. This is going to be hard. We are already tackling the difficult and time-consuming tasks involved in a big project like this. I am writing this from the Philadelphia airport where I have spent the weekend meeting people and making plans. Truthfully, I am already tired. But there is a strange energy that comes from working on something that can make an impact in people’s lives. You really need to feel that righteous vibe. I will keep you posted on how things are going (like you didn’t expect that, right?)

Can you hear me now? Good!