DepistaFest 2023, an edition that really hit the spot

Is it possible to get tested for STIs and take pride in it? Club Sexu’s DépistaFest answered a resounding yes, and so did the media! This resulted in 57 media mentions and nearly 10M impressions.

Because getting tested should be a celebrated practice, Club Sexu launched DépistaFest in 2021 as a pilot project. It became Quebec’s only major sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) screening festival. The project aims to destigmatize and normalize routine screening, as well as encourage good sexual health practices, particularly among 18-to-35-year-olds.

This year, DépistaFest 2023 moved from words to action with its ambition of setting a collective record of 1,000 people who would take and self-report their STBBI screening appointments on the depistafest.ca website.

FRANCHIR was thus tasked with managing and carrying out the festival’s public relations, inviting all of Quebec to the same party: one that lets you safely get your kicks.

01 – Position DépistaFest and Club Sexu as experts in positive and playful sexual health

02 – Sensitize 18-to-34-year-olds to the importance of regular screenings, as a way to normalize and destigmatize testing.

03 – Encourage influencers and the media to talk about Dépistafest 2023, and, in turn, motivate target audiences to take part in the collective screening record on its website.

Our mandate was mainly focused on media relations.

01 – Build momentum via this record to sustain media relations before and after DépistaFest;

02 – Leverage the latest data on STIs in Quebec to underscore the importance of the event and of getting tested;

03 – Personalize our media relations, particularly at the regional level, and according to angles such as lifestyle or health and society, all thanks to exclusive angles;

04 – Highlight the community and collective aspect of the project by calling on a variety of spokespeople, selected according to opportunities. 

Supported by public relations, we generated 57 confirmed media mentions during the first two weeks of June , thus showcasing DépistaFest 2023 and Club Sexu’s mission.

The entire campaign generated a total of 8,945,400 impressions, surpassing our growth targets from the previous year.

1. 8,945,400 total impressions;
2. 57 media mentions;
3. 11 interviews with a spokesperson;
4. 88% of mentions contained a spokesperson’s name;
5. 100% of mentions referenced one of the key messages;
6. 28% of mentions directed to the website (call-to-action);
7. 54% of mentions featured an image;
8. 65% of mentions came from national media.