Our overarching creative theme was a simple one –

HIV is ‘Hidden In View’.

- Hidden because the symptoms can be difficult to identify.

- Hidden because GPs do not recognise who is at risk.

- Hidden because of the associated stigma.

The idea was to help doctors recognize the changing face of HIV, those familiar faces and symptoms they see regularly, and hopefully in the relevant cases think to offer an HIV test to either rule it out or lead to a diagnosis.

As GPs are extremely busy, we felt the most successful media would be a short film to capture their attention quickly and to support this through print and digital media.

Although challenging in approach the execution had to have a warmth and reassurance, using characters and situations that GPs recognised to help them put themselves in that same situation. With this in mind we also ‘street cast’ everyday people as models to give an authenticity to the campaign.

Budget for this project was tight and the concepts could not be traditionally tested. Instead we used existing contacts in support groups, charities, steering committees and advisory boards to gauge the appeal of film and at the same time gain their buy-in to the campaign.

The film was launched nationally through an owned website, social media channels and screened in GP surgeries. This was supported by a range digital tactics, in-surgery information and print.

The campaign has helped reposition the disease in GPs minds and lead to:

1. Over 250,000 people engaged with the campaign within the first few weeks.

2. Online engagement four times higher than the industry standard.

3. The campaign being part of a nationwide healthcare professional training programme.

New policy changes to HIV testing in the UK.