Background. HIV continues to be a major concern among MSM, yet Black MSM have not been enrolled in HIV research studies in proportionate numbers to White MSM. We developed an HIV prevention research brand strategy for MSM. Methods. Questionnaires and focus groups were conducted with 54 participants. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were performed and qualitative data were transcribed and content analyzed to identify common themes. Results. Formative research results indicated that younger Black MSM (18–29 years) were less likely to think about joining prevention studies compared to older (≥30 years) Black MSM ( , ). Qualitative and quantitative results indicate four prominent themes related to brand development: (1) communication sources (message deliverer), (2) message (impact of public health messaging on perceptions of HIV research), (3) intended audience (underlying issues that influence personal relevance of HIV research), and (4) communication channels (reaching intended audiences). Conclusion. The findings highlight the importance of behavioral communication translational research to effectively engage hard-to-reach populations. Despite reservations, MSM in our formative study expressed a need for active involvement and greater education to facilitate their engagement in HIV prevention research. Thus, the brand concept of “InvolveMENt” emerged. 1. Introduction An estimated 1.1 million individuals, diagnosed and undiagnosed, have HIV in the United States [1]. Individuals of ages 20–24 (36.4 per 100,000) and 25–29 (35.4 per 100,000) have higher diagnosis rates than any other age category [1]. In 2010, there were 48,078 new diagnoses of HIV infection among adults and adolescents [1]. Of those cases, the majority were men (37,910; 79%) [1]. Seventy-seven percent of those men reported male-to-male sexual contact as the risk-factor that attributed to their diagnosis [1]. In 2011, Black/African Americans carried the largest burden of disease with a new diagnosis rate of 60.4 per 100,000, followed by Hispanic/Latinos (19.5 per 100,000) and Whites (7.0 per 100,000) [2]. Moreover, Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV than any other group [2]. The southern part of United States (comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia) has the highest HIV prevalence rate per 100,000 than any other region [2]. In the South, 20.9 cases per 100,000
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