CASE STUDY: Changing attitudes towards Aids among migrant workers

Background: The rate of HIV diffusion in China is relatively low but the epidemic is continuing to grow and there are pockets of high infection among specific communities. Rural and urban migrant workers form one such group, which has proven vulnerable to HIV infection because of high mobility, behaviour that exacerbates the risk, and low awareness of the disease.

Within the group, stigma and discrimination against HIV positive workers were the key challenges, having devastating effects on sufferers’ lives. For a person living and working closely with other workers, being diagnosed as HIV positive means alienation, lack of support and ultimately, loss of work.

Aim: The International Labour Organization (ILO) set out to counter this discrimination, make workers aware of the modes of transmission and ways of protecting themselves against Aids, and support sufferers by connecting them to medical facilities. The campaign was handled by McCann Healthcare.

Execution: Communications were based on the concept of the ‘hometown fellow’. A strong connection was identified between workers from the same village, who usually had similar roots, similar backgrounds, similar lifestyles, and shared similar dreams. While the village or town formed an initial physical connection, a stronger bond was the workers’ sense of comradeship. Empathy for fellow members and a sense of responsibility towards each other ran deep in the group.

The strategic direction was aimed at re-awakening this sentiment, which had become suppressed due to an underlying fear of self-expression. Hence the central idea of the campaign became ‘Hometown fellows – living together, working together’.



A person of similar background who had enjoyed a high degree of success was deemed the most suitable to represent the campaign’s identity and deliver its messages. Enter leading actor Wang Baoqiang, once himself a migrant worker in Beijing, as spokesperson. Tremendously popular among the workers, Wang acted as something of a role model to the group.

A short film featuring Wang was shot to highlight the pertinent issues and promote a message of tolerance and acceptance among the workers. Directed by Cannes Film festival winner Gu Changwei, the film was given a light-hearted tone in order to maximise accessibility.
The film tells the story of Zhang Xiaohu, a construction worker shunned by his co-workers and friends because he has HIV. Wang, who comes from the same town as Zhang, appears as himself to promote the key messages. In the end his co-workers and ‘hometown fellows’ accept Zhang. This marked first time in for a genuine HIV/AIDS patient to feature in a film in China.

In addition to the short film, the campaign incorporated elements featuring the celebrity requesting the workers to help and support each other. Messages promoting preventative measures and medical services were also incorporated in below the line components.
All this was integrated under a straightforward campaign slogan – 'Laoshang bang laoshang' (hometown fellows help hometown fellows) – that was also developed into the campaign logo.

Results: The campaign produced results that clearly reflected behavioural change among members of the target audience. According to a study conducted by the ILO, discrimination against those affected by HIV/Aids decreased significantly, with 54.9 per cent of workers expressing total openness towards sufferers, compared to 7.6 per cent prior to the initiative. The most significant achievement was in terms of improved awareness of non-transmission modes (hitherto a major reason for fear and discrimination) from 10.5 per cent to 61.1 per cent. Condom use increased significantly to 73 per cent from 49 per cent among workers. And above all, uptake of medical facilities grew three-fold.


Client: International Labour Organization (ILO)
Project: Home Town Fellows Campaign
Brief: To fight Aids related discrimination amongst rural migrant workers.
People: At McCann Healthcare: Rahul Pawar, associate general manager; Kevin Lee, national creative director; Selina Tian, account executive; Lazy Feng, art director; Shen Yuan, designer. 
At ILO: Richard Howard, chief technical advisor; Ru Lian, programme officer; Li Ting Ting, programme assistant; Zhao Wei, training expert.

Duration: November 2008 – July 2009