Yes Means Test Let's Tok About Sex

In a culture that censors accurate sex ed, we Tok'd the truth.

CHALLENGE

1 in 2 sexually active people will get an STI before they’re 25. Undetected STIs can lead to long-term health risks including infertility. Yet, only 17 states require medically accurate sex education. And when it comes to Gen Z, 63% of women learn more about sexual health from social media like TikTok than from school. The one problem: censorship. When talking about sex, TikTok users have to get clever with spelling. And when trying to smash the STI stigma, “seggs” just wasn’t going to cut it.

IDEA

To cut through the clutter and confusion of code words, we convinced TikTok to challenge their status quo and permit us to use medically accurate terms. As one of the first campaigns to actually say words like “chlamydia,” “gonorrhea” and “sex”— no !fs, &s, or @s”, we were able to deliver accurate information from credible sources with no room for misinterpretation.

EXECUTION

This social-first campaign completely changed the way STIs are discussed on TikTok. We were highly selective in engaging relatable influencers – gynecologists, sex educators and Gen Z lifestyle gurus – who authentically talked all things sex, STIs and testing, in line with CDC guidelines. These women leaned into TikTok trends like “a day in my life” and “get ready with me” to ensure the content felt native to the platform and similar to what users view online already. When we Tok’d the truth, we normalized conversations about STIs and empowered young people to get tested and protect their sexual health.

Influencer Content

As one of the first brands to bypass TikTok’s sex ed censorship, we were able to talk about STIs in real, accurate terms, and our audience took action.