The expression “thinking outside the box” is one of the most ridiculous fad (common amongst idealist) I have ever heard and I uncontrollably cringe each time I hear it. Thinking outside the box is leading nowhere. Imagine you are lost in the middle of the Sahara with no water and no food, no amount of thinking outside the box if going to help you…

Great discovery and progress were made because people were thinking within the box. They knew the box very well and that’s why they could come up with something innovative. Think about the bankers behind the credit crunch, think about Bill Gates who revolutionised the personal computer. As much as bankers are despised or Bil Gates is despised, they knew the box very well and that’s why they found ways out of it and in the case of Bill, we are nowadays all enjoying the pleasure of endless digression and online nonsense.

Back to business, Orange Cambodia is showing how well they know the “box”, and in this case the TV box. Indeed Orange partnered with USAID to promote HIV awareness through a TV programme they sponsor and called You Are The Man.

Over a two-month period, six Cambodian men between the ages of 18 and 35 will undergo numerous challenges to compete for the title of “real man”.

“This program is very important for men in our country because it will challenge the perception that Cambodian men usually look down on women and go out to drink alcohol,” said Ben L Cheav, brand consultant and media manager of the Orange Brand Elements production company, adding that the program will also educate contestants and viewers about the issue of HIV/AIDS.

The six competitors will be given mark and the winner of the show will receive a grand prize of, hold your breath, US$3,000 and a “cool” motorbike!

How cool, and clever, is that! So, how cool it would be if HIV prevention would start “thinking inside the box” and come up witth some innovative campaign?

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