How to sell a condom? The impact of demand creation tools on male and female condom sales in resource limited settings

Despite condoms being cheap and effective in preventing HIV, there remains an 8 billion shortfall in condom use in risky sex-acts. Social marketing organisations apply private sector marketing approaches to sell public health products. This paper investigates the impact of marketing tools, including promotion and pricing, on demand for male and female condoms in 52 countries between 1997 and 2009. A static model differentiates drivers of demand for male and female condoms, while a dynamic panel data estimator estimates their short- and long-run impacts. Products are not equally affected: female condoms are not affected by advertising, but highly affected by interpersonal communication and HIV prevalence. Promotion has significant short- and long-run effects on both condoms. Price changes impact on the short- and long-run male and female condom demand, albeit with far greater impact on female condom demand. Programming for new and existing HIV prevention technologies needs to consider both product and target population characteristics when designing optimal distribution strategies.