“Change the name, end the stigma”: On the occasion of World AIDS Day, Serviceplan Suisse and Youth Against Aids are calling for the renaming of HIV in an open letter to the World Health Organization. The accompanying campaign was developed by Serviceplan Suisse.
editorial staff
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December 2, 2022
The global campaign to mark World AIDS Day on Thursday started with the key message “Change the name, end the stigma”. In an open letter, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is asked to rename HIV. The letter describes HIV as an “epidemic of the mind” caused and spread primarily by non-medical factors.
At the same time, the Bericht «Epidemic of the Mind» published by Youth Against Aids in cooperation with LMU Munich and supported by the Boston Consulting Group. It examined why so many young people are still becoming infected with HIV. It turned out that it is not medical-therapeutic but intellectual obstacles that prevent the fight once morest the epidemic. That is why HIV is an “Epidemic of the Mind”.
In all cultures, the justified fear of being seen as promiscuous, impure or dangerously infectious still means that vulnerable groups and people living with HIV do not take up treatment and prevention measures. The “Update HIV” campaign wants to start a new and progressive discussion on the topic on a personal and political level in order to permanently change the view on HIV and prevent new infections. And that starts with the name.
The greatest obstacles to ending the HIV epidemic are no longer of a medical nature, but of a social, cultural and political nature: life with HIV is no longer what it was 40 years ago. But the stigma has remained much the same. “Calling for the World Health Organization to give the virus a new name is a recognition of advances in treatment and understanding of HIV and gives people living with the virus the chance to live the stigma-free life they love they deserve», says Daniel Nagel, CEO of Ohhh! Foundation, which started the Youth Against Aids initiative.
“Most people associate the term ‘HIV’ with ideas that are outdated and no longer correspond to the reality of the virus in the 21st century. We need to break that stigma,” Nagel explains. “It’s dangerous because it’s self-fulfilling. Asking people to use a new name for something will make them change their mindset. That’s what we want to achieve.”
The campaign has been in planning and preparation for twelve months. In September 2022, representatives of Youth Against Aids met at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to put HIV back on the agenda. On the other side of the city, the NGO and Serviceplan Suisse made “Update HIV” visible with a digital campaign placement in Times Square. The campaign messages were also displayed on the Nasdaq Tower on World AIDS Day Thursday.
“The way people talk regarding HIV and the way campaigns communicate the issue verbally and visually has shaped our understanding of the disease for decades. Today, the three letters HIV are inextricably linked with stigmatization – with fear, hatred and alienation,” says Marcin Baba, Creative Director at Serviceplan Suisse. “These socio-cultural issues are preventing us from ending the epidemic. Our creative approach uses classic marketing tools. In a rebranding process, we finally want to free HIV from the harmful stigma.”
Raul Serrat, Executive Creative Director at Serviceplan Suisse, adds: “What hinders HIV testing and treatment programs is basically an image problem: Too many people see HIV as a stigma, receive too little education and no appropriate treatment. With the ‘Update HIV’ campaign, we want to initiate a discussion to change exactly that and to continue the successful fight once morest the virus.”
The goal is to engage the public and lead the discussion regarding stigma, the importance of language and working on better solutions. The open letter can open Updatehiv.com to be signed. You can also participate in the discussion with your own name suggestion. As the campaign progresses, a participatory process will ensure that as many people as possible can be involved in this open discussion. The website also contains additional information regarding HIV and the ongoing impact of stigma on the epidemic.
More campaigns planned
The publication of the open letter in print media such as Timesto the daily mirror, Handelsblattthe NZZ as well as in digital media and OOH was accompanied by extensive press coverage and a social media campaign, with influencers spreading the campaign’s message and urging people to visit the website to learn more regarding HIV.
The campaign film, which can also be seen on the website, was made in collaboration with the photographer Gideon Mendel, who has been documenting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa since 1980.
Responsible at Serviceplan Group: Jason Romeyko (Worldwide Executive Creative Director); Lee Sharrock (International Communications Officer); Birgit Koch (Head of Corporate Communications, Serviceplan Agencies). Responsible at Ohhh! Foundation: Daniel Nagel (CEO); Roman Malessa (Management Team Member, Partnerships & Africa Head); Jona Koch PR Lead (JK Access). Responsible at House of Communication Switzerland: Raul Serrat (CCO); Marcin Baba (Executive Creative Director); Micha Seger (Executive Creative Director); Henry Clarke (Senior Copywriter); Günter Zumbach (Senior Copywriter); Joss Arnott (Junior Copywriter); Nadja Tandler (Art Director); Carina Kienzle (Junior Art Director); Dominik Shota Schweingruber (Motion Designer); Dario Pucci (Motion Designer); Lea Manfredi (Motion Designer); Lorenzo Müller (Senior Digital Art Director); Luca Di Francesco (Digital Art Director); Aline Litchenhaus (Senior Account Manager); Laura Seifert (Account Manager); Pam Hügli (CEO). Responsible at House of Communication Spain: Ainhoa de las Pozas (General Management); Emilio Valverde (Executive Creative Director); Pablo Tesio (Senior Copywriter); Carlos Alcácer (Senior Art Director); David Pérez (Art Director); Vanesa Gómez (Account Director); Marta Queiruga (Public Relations). Responsible at House of Communication Paris: Mickaël Paillard (Lead Developer); Matthieu Decarpenterie (Lead Developer); Jonathan Conan (Junior Account Manager); Charlie D’halluin (Web Developer); Anthony Laplane (Word Press Developer); Adrian Albu (Devops Engineer). Responsible at House of Communication Hamburg: Dennis Fritz (Creative Director Video).
