One bold campaign from New Zealand has won global awards for its creative approach to destigmatizing herpes. The initiative includes well-known New Zealanders, such as All Blacks’ former rugby coach Sir Graham Henry. It’s meant to change the way people think about the herpes virus through a cute fake tourism advertisement tourist video. The campaign went on to win the Grand Prix for Good at this year’s Cannes Lions. This time-honored award recognizes the important work that non-profit organizations and charities are accomplishing.
To announce the campaign, Mr. Henry simply wrote tons of people’s “herpes” in capital letters on a chalkboard. Yet that dramatic gesture not only introduced the message but colored everything that followed. This audacious move is part of a broader strategy that seeks to make New Zealand “the best place in the world to have herpes.” We’ve really touched a nerve with a lot of people with the campaign. In reality, nearly one in three sexually active adults in New Zealand are infected with the virus that causes genital herpes.
Campaign run representative Alaina Luxmoore, from the New Zealand Herpes Foundation, highlighted the campaign’s far-reaching impact. She admitted that millions of views on the ad are amazing and they’ve gained “massive cut-through” into the huge public conversation around anti-vax campaigns. The campaign was funny as hell! That’s why it worked, I think,” she continued, looking back on the successful combination of humor and message.
David Ohana, communications director at the United Nations Foundation, welcomed the move. He pointed it out as one of the most interesting shifts in narrative at this year’s Cannes Lions, where he’s currently serving as jury president. “Forget doom and gloom, there’s enough of that already to go around,” he stated, underscoring the need for positive representation of health issues.
The campaign included a host of other well-known personalities like Sir Ashley Bloomfield and boxer/Canterbury’s Mea Motu. Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry has been one of the leading advocates, calling for a new measure of national pride. He said, “We need something new to be proud of; something big and brave to put us back on the map. He called on the public to internalize the campaign’s phrase “stop the spread.” It’s time to make New Zealand the best place in the world to have herpes,” he said.
The New Zealand Herpes Foundation addressed the stigma attached to the virus full force. They identified up-to-date, factually accurate sex education, misinformation, and society’s discomfort discussing sex as leading contributors to this stigma. They described how people with genital herpes are mostly asymptomatic, have mild symptoms, and live normal lives.