F/A/Q is an NGO focussed on improving people’s sexual health and wellbeing. Achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of ending HIV as a public health risk is one of its central aims.

Today, HIV is treatable, detectable and preventable: we have the tools to end the HIV epidemic. Yet we’re off track. An estimated 38.4 million live with HIV: 1.7 million are children under the age of fifteen, half of whom have no access to life-saving treatment.

F/A/Q commissioned a report to investigate why existing prevention efforts were failing to reduce HIV transmissions. It’s conclusion: The HIV epidemic today is primarily driven by social, cultural and political factors. Chief among these is the stigmatization of HIV and those living with it.

Our brief: develop a “big idea” to address HIV stigma by updating the global perception of HIV, and highlight the importance of treatment and prevention programs.

“Change the name. End the stigma.”

F/A/Q addressed HIV stigma by applying market strategy to a global health crisis. “Update HIV” was a campaign to rename, rebrand and rethink HIV, and dissociate a medical condition from years of stigmatisation. A new visual identity, a new tone of voice and an open call for the virus to be renamed gave a sense of ownership of the issue to the young generation that could see an end to HIV transmissions in their lifetime.

Inspired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s statement that “language creates the reality it describes”, the campaign was designed to target key members of the HIV prevention community by sparking a new conversation about the global HIV strategy.

Rebranding would offer a platform to “update” audiences on the facts and realities of HIV today, helping debunk common myths and misunderstandings about the virus, treatment options and transmission routes.

Depending on regions, HIV awareness is either insufficient or dropping. In sub-Saharan Africa, a lack of knowledge, education and access to care stop people from managing their sexual health. In developed nations, a perception of HIV as an “old disease” that primarily affects men who have sex with men means understanding and awareness of HIV is decreasing among young adults.

Under the key message “Change the name. End the stigma”, our campaign was designed to make audiences re-examine their knowledge and understanding of HIV. The campaign targeted young adults as well as health professionals and policy makers with a multi-channel PR approach that spanned traditional media with influencer partnerships and OOH placements. Alongside traditional assets, “behind-the-scenes” resources such as detailed press packs ensured the campaign’s wider reach.

“Update HIV” premiered in 2022 at the International AIDS Conference in Montreal. On December 1st 2022, World AIDS Day, an open letter published in the international press called on the Director-General of the W.H.O to officially rename HIV.

The campaign required a truly international, multi-channel media strategy to reach its global audience. From South African radio and township murals, European TikTok creators and out-of-home

assets across three continents, we harnessed the different media landscapes of our target countries to spread a simple message: “Change the name. End the stigma.”

At AfrikaBurn, an installation of the letter’s “HIV”, covered in examples of HIV stigma, was burned in a headline-grabbing PR activation to herald the dawn of a new era of HIV prevention.

Following a successful meeting between F/A/Q and the Biden administration, the campaign will officially request the WHO renames HIV at this year’s International AIDS Conference in Brisbane, Australia.

Update HIV reached more than 100 million people. In South Africa and Namibia, 12 million people were reached through earned media, with 100% of mentions including the campaign’s key message. 600,000+ readers were exposed to the printed open letter.

The campaign won vocal public support from key figures in HIV prevention and research, including:

• Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO

• Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UN AIDS

• Dr. Joe Phaahla, Minister for Health, South Africa

• Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

• Harold J. Phillips, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy

• Linda-Gail Bekker, CEO of the Desmond Tutu AIDS Foundation.

More than 2600 students attended Update HIV workshops in South Africa and Namibia.

On April 7th, 2023, F/A/Q met with the CDC and the Biden administration to discuss launching Update HIV in the US. In December 2023, F/A/Q will formally petition the WHO to change HIV’s name.

However, this is a marathon, not a sprint: Ultimately, Update HIV’s true success will be measured in 2030, when the deadline for the UN Sustainable Development Goal of ending AIDS has been met.