Univision & Kaiser Foundation mark National Latino AIDS Awareness Day.

Univision Communications Inc. and the Kaiser Family Foundation unveiled the second phase of “SOY. . .” (I AM. . .), the groundbreaking Spanish-language media campaign featuring the personal stories of a diverse group of Latinos living with HIV and their loved ones. The new campaign materials will debut on the Univision Network, the Telefutura Network and Galavision in conjunction with National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) on October 15th and continue throughout 2010.

“SOY. . .” features 14 Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America living with HIV/AIDS who share both a passion for life and a desire to end the spread of the disease. They are musicians, academics, businessmen and housewives – everyday people who share their experiences living with HIV. Shot in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Mexico City, San Salvador, Lima, and Buenos Aires, the documentary-style public service ads (PSAs) aim to create a personal connection to HIV/AIDS among the audience and engender the feeling that HIV/AIDS could affect “people like me and those I care about.”

In the first wave of the campaign, which debuts today, audiences will meet Yolanda, a devoted mother who works in a Los Angeles health clinic; Joann, a minister and church choir director from Chicago; Alejandro, a 20-year old Argentine musician; Dania, a vibrant Cuban-American poet and dancer from Miami; and, Enrique, a passionate community activist from New York City. The campaign spots will air in the United States on Univision, TeleFutura, and Galavision networks and television and radio stations, and across more than 12 countries in Latin America as part of the Latin American Media AIDS Initiative.

Developed by Univision and the Kaiser Family Foundation, “SOY. . .” includes 28 original public service ads (PSAs) for television and radio and Spanish-language HIV/AIDS information and resources available online through a dedicated website http://www.univision.com (keyword: SIDA) and via a toll-free Spanish-language hotline (1-866-TU-SALUD). The campaign was developed as part of ¡Enterate de VIH y SIDA! (Get the Facts about HIV and AIDS!), a long-standing public information partnership established in 2001 between Univision and the Kaiser Family Foundation to provide culturally relevant Spanish-language information and resources about HIV/AIDS and sexual health. The latest series of campaign spots were conceptualized by Kaiser and Univision, and produced by ONYX.la and WeArePacheco, winners of 7 Lions Awards at the 2009 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

“Univision has a long history of addressing issues that are important to our audience and the response to HIV and AIDS within our community is an urgent issue,” said Ivelisse Estrada, Senior Vice President for Corporate and Community Relations at Univision Communications. “Our work to provide information about HIV and link our audience to AIDS-related resources has made a critical difference in breaking the silence about this disease and getting people tested.”

“Latinos in the United States are disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS, and stigma remains a key challenge to addressing the problem within the community,” said Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director of Entertainment Media Partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “By sharing their stories, the individuals profiled in this campaign are connecting very personally with audiences in the U.S. and across Latin America, helping to break the silence and fight the stigma surrounding this disease.”

The campaign launch coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month and National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) – a national collective movement and public health marketing effort aimed at educating and mobilizing Hispanic/Latino communities to increase their knowledge on the impact of HIV/AIDS and health related safe practices. “SOY. . .” is the official campaign of NLAAD, and Univision and Kaiser are working with the Latino Commission on AIDS and the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) to distribute HIV/AIDS information resources and “SOY. . .” programming materials to community organizations, health agencies and local clinics and across the country.

“The ‘SOY. . .’ campaign provides an unprecedented opportunity to tell the story of HIV/AIDS in our communities in a way that’s real and compelling. The campaign reinforces that each of us is equal in the face of AIDS – ending this epidemic requires both personal responsibility and community action,” said Guillermo Chacon, interim Executive Director, Latino Commission on AIDS. “Univision and Kaiser are real leaders in the Latino response to AIDS, linking Univision’s audience to critical resources and fighting the stigmas and stereotypes that persist within our families and communities.”