TBWA\Ireland Unveils Powerful Campaign to Tackle HIV Stigma with the HSE

TBWA\Ireland with HSE have launched a powerful national campaign to tackle HIV related stigma in Ireland. ‘You, Me & HIV’ focuses on the relationships of people living with HIV to correct misconceptions.

While huge strides have been made in treatment of HIV over the last few decades, public perception has lagged behind, often resulting in residual stigma. The impacts of HIV stigma are multiple. Stigma impacts people living with HIV, their wellbeing and relationships and late diagnosis is often related to fear of diagnosis and stigma. People living with HIV who are on effective HIV treatment, will live healthy lives and cannot pass it onto sexual partners. Challenging - and changing - the public understanding of HIV to reflect this reality is the campaign’s ambition.

Collaboration between the HSE, TBWA\Ireland, and the Poz Vibe Tribe, helped the team land on a clear strategic direction to inform the campaign: with effective treatment of HIV, people living with HIV are healthy and thriving. We focused on relationships between loved ones to accurately communicate this and tackle the biggest knowledge gap for the public – the fact that being on effective treatment for HIV means you can’t pass it on is new news to 7 in 10 of our audience. Husband and wife Ainara and Peter, father and daughter Aoife and Pat, and ‘Poz Vibe Podcast’ hosts and friends Veda and Robbie all discuss their experience. By telling their own stories of living well with HIV, the outdated story of what living with HIV means is rewritten and updated. 

HIV activist Enda McGrattan, also known as drag star Veda Lady, said, “We need to bring healing to the community, honour our past by ending HIV stigma and also ending HIV. Our main message is the scientific fact that once on effective treatment we can’t pass HIV on. We still need to get that message out, loud and clear to the general public but I think things are finally changing in Ireland, and I feel honoured to be a part of that movement.”

Niamh Mc Dermott, senior account director said, ‘It was an honour to have worked on this campaign, and work with all the HIV activists. They are truly an inspiration to us all and we hope their stories will help change the misconceptions in our society.’

Katie Atkinson, strategic planner, said, "This work stands out as it steps away from framing people living with HIV within the context of adversity. It dismantles stigma by showing that HIV doesn’t have to be a big, scary, terrible thing to overcome. Rather, with effective treatment, HIV can simply be part of your story, part of your relationship."

Matthieu Chardon, 'Bolt head and creative lead,' on the campaign execution, "Bringing Adam Crane & Clara Traynor's creative vision to life aligned perfectly with one of our production aims: to craft work that drives change and fosters an inclusive future. Directing real people and their authentic stories is a challenge I deeply value, made possible by our producer Zsofi Abel's  and Eva-Jane Gaffney's expertise."

Aghna Harte, head of campaigns, HSE Communications and Public Affairs, said, "This campaign is special, not only because it’s beautiful work in its own right, but because it’s reflective of true collaboration with people living with HIV in Ireland. When we tackle stigma, we’re really tackling knowledge and empathy and this campaign delivers strongly on both. Thanks to the Veda, Robbie, Aoife, Pat, Ainara and Peter, we’re looking forward to seeing real change in knowledge and attitudes to HIV in Ireland."

The campaign rolls out on OOH, TV, VOD and Social. 

For more information on HIV, please visit to hse.ie/hiv