NSW Health Play Safe Website

Launched in 2014, digital safe sex resource Play Safe was originally aimed at 15-19 year olds who were just becoming interested in sex. But – with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) on the rise amongst young adults across the state – NSW Health wanted to reposition it to appeal to sexually-active 16-29 year-olds. The website and associated digital channels needed to be repositioned to meet the overall program objective of creating behavioural change and increasing condom usage and STI testing. The question was...how could we make Play Safe connect with the audience? After all, who wants sex advice from the government?

We were chosen as the project partner to deliver research, branding and positioning, website, content strategy and creation, and social media management across a three-year period. As a sensitive subject – and one that people do not actively look to engage with – it was important that the new brand connected authentically with the audience. The new brand, tone of voice, messaging, content and website is based on various stages of audience research including one-to-one interviews. The second stage of research included user testing to assess overall user experience, ease of use, and connection with the target audience.

Key functions were added to measure behavioral change, including an STI quiz (simplified dramatically from the site’s previous one), clinic locator, and anonymous email function (Nurse Nettie) for sexual health advice. New website visitors from within the target audience (16-29, NSW) has risen 20%. During a recent advertising campaign the results included: – New visitors grew by 400% (30,144 during the campaign period versus 6,032) – Goal completions (such as STI test quiz, service locator, Nurse Nettie questions) rose by 550% (6,953 versus 1,069) These demonstrate that the newly-designed functions are relevant, engaging, and being fully completed.

– ‘Could I have an STI’ quiz. Although the previous website included a quiz, it was laborious (over 20 questions) and the drop off rate was high. We simplified to three questions, with inclusive language and a clear answer which tells someone their status and what they need to do next. This is now one of the most used functions on the website. – Nurse Nettie. This is an anonymous email function which allows people to ask their questions directly to a real sexual health nurse in Sydney. This valuable service gives young people access to health advice from a trained professional. – The Play Safe Forum. The forum is a place for young people to hang out and discuss sex, sexual health and relationships. A group of volunteer moderators aged 18-29 (many of who are studying healthcare or social work at university) create discussions, reply to other users, and offer peer-to-peer support to people who need it. Since launch, we’ve seen a rise in posts from new members asking for advice on everything from herpes to lube - with Play Safe’s Mod Squad providing the answers and support they need. Nurse Nettie is also on the forum to handle any health related questions.