– Use a condom on your p***k and use a condom in your f***e.
That was the message to the Norwegian Directorate of Health when last week they launched a new campaign to combat the gonorrhea infection which is spreading at record speed in the country.
TV 2 wrote that the condom campaign should be aimed at young people between the ages of 18 and 29 on their preferred social media.
– We mainly use ads on Snapchat and Tinder, but also other banner ads in news stories that are, for example, about study choices, Russian time and sexual health, said senior adviser Arild Johan Myrberg in the Directorate of Health.
But now one actor has set the wheels in motion for the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s information work.
– Problematic
There was no “match” with Tinder. They have not approved the campaign for use on their app.
– We swiped right, but they swiped left, says communications director Stein-Gunnar Bondevik who, according to himself, has received his first rejection on Tinder.
Now he comes out hard against the dating app and accuses them of preventing the preventive work of the health authorities.
– We don’t do this for fun. It is necessary information for public health. Then it is problematic that central actors do not let us in.
REJECTED: The Directorate of Health’s communications director demands that Tinder come up with a good reason for the rejection. Photo: Ronald Johansen
Important message
For NOK 100,000, the Directorate of Health has created campaign material encouraging condom use.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and the media group Schibsted, has approved the campaign.
It was still the match with Tinder that was most sought after by the health authorities.
– We have a situation in Norway where we must prevent a further increase in gonorrhea. It is very important that we get this message out, and Tinder is a key partner in the campaign to reach the right target group, says Bondevik and adds:
– It is potentially serious if the authorities are gagged by social media.
CONTROVERSIAL: The Directorate of Health acknowledges that there is explicit language, but believes it is what is needed. Photo: Directorate of Health
Explicit language
The rejection of Tinder is not justified. TV 2 has seen the rejection that Tinder has sent to the Directorate of Health, and has itself sent questions to the company, which will not comment on the matter.
– We do not comment on ongoing discussions about commercial collaborations, communicates communications advisor Suzanne Bettum in Släger on behalf of Tinder owner Match Group.
The Norwegian Directorate of Health nevertheless recognizes that the language in the campaign is explicit and can be difficult to deal with.
– But it is tailored for the target group, and it must attract a certain amount of attention, says Bondevik.
