New Zealand herpes campaign winsfor ‘flipping a taboo topic on its head’

THE LIONS Health and United Nations Grand Prix for Good has been awarded to ‘The Best Place In The World To Have Herpes’, a campaign entered by Finch Sydney, Motion Sickness Auckland and the New Zealand Herpes Foundation.

Jury President David Ohana, the United Nations Foundation’s chief communications and marketing officer, said: “We had some exceptional finalists in this category, from a best-in-class use of data to a campaign that brought the room to tears. But the decision for the Grand Prix was unanimous. This campaign took a taboo topic and flipped it on its head. It showed great strategy and insight, as well as a bold crazy idea.”

The goal of the campaign was to reducing the stigma of talking about herpes, a medical condition that affects 4.1 billion people globally, and often leads to depressive thoughts. The execution saw an online course hosted by Kiwi celebs, including Graham Henry, who dealt with key questions about the condition. Consumers spent 10,776 hours watching the content, while the the campaign received 12.7 million impressions.

In eight weeks, New Zealand jumped to the top of a league table listing the best place to have herpes. Ohana said: “It’s a brilliant example of how humour can address tough issues and break stereotypes. There are so many reasons to worry, people need a reason to laugh. Doom and gloom just doesn’t get the message across.”