Reframe to cut through / This campaign effectively reframes the destigmatisation of herpes as a matter of national pride. As Claire Hurst, founding trustee for NZHF, said in a press release, the foundation has ‘tried to land a stigma breaking campaign for over 20 years and have never managed to crack it. We are simply floored by this campaign and couldn’t be happier with how it has navigated this challenging topic and made it approachable, Kiwi and fun.’ By promoting its efforts to ‘make New Zealand the best place in the world to have herpes’, NZHF gives Kiwis something to rally behind and therefore puts the issue on the national agenda; creating a live leaderboard to track herpes-shaming on an international level introduces a competitive element, further incentivising people to watch the content.
For more examples of how brands can create new types of indexes as a way to raise awareness of societal issues and establish themselves as an authority on those matters read our Creative Tactic on indexes.
Find the funny side / In terms of tackling the stigma, just putting the word ‘herpes’ in big type on outdoor ad spaces across New Zealand does a lot of legwork. The travel poster-style creative is incongruous with traditional health marketing, as is the irreverent, comedic tone of the educational video content.
This campaign fits into a wider trend of brands in the pharma, wellness and healthcare categories subverting norms and taking themselves less seriously. Dramamine’s documentary The Last Barf Bag, prostate cancer charity Prost8’s cheeky outdoor campaign, and Specsavers’ tie-up with Rick Astley for the Misheard Version are prime examples. ‘Healthcare work can too often feel overly serious and fearmongering,’ said Golin CCO George Bryant, of the Specsavers work. ‘But by bringing levity and wit to the category, we were able to destigmatise the issue and drive real commercial success.’ In NZHF’s case, the levity of the campaign lends itself to the overall message – that herpes is no big deal, pretty much everyone gets it, and there’s nothing to be ashamed about.
