We used the combined force of media, when and where it’s most effective to strategically amplify our message in a bold attempt to change the name of HIV and rebrand the virus to break the stigma.

HIV is treatable, detectable and preventable today. And Yet, the stigma fuels the epidemic. It is an unimaginable feat of strength to change the image and global perception of a disease, which can only be accomplished by facilitating media from Timesquare to an open letter across all major newspapers to an installation at Africa Burn to the entire world on TikTok.

F/A/Q, an NGO focussed on improving people’s sexual health and wellbeing. Achieving the UN Sustainability Goal of ending AIDS by 2030 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 fifteen, half of whom have no access to life-saving treatment.

According to F/A/Q and Boston Consulting Group’s report, “Epidemic of the Mind”, the HIV epidemic today is driven not by medical, but social, cultural and political factors. Chief among these: HIV stigma.

Our brief was to create and execute a cost-effective global campaign to address HIV stigma and improve the effectiveness of existing treatment and prevention programs. The campaign needed to perform across all media, markets and cultures with a leading “big idea” that would distinguish it from previous anti-stigma campaigns.

“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.

The “HIV Community” includes patients, researchers, carers and activists affected by and working within the field of HIV. “Update HIV”’s “inside-out” strategy first won support from key members of the HIV community at the international AIDS conferences in Montreal. This achieved, the campaign was rolled out across international markets.

The campaign was strategically framed as an “update” designed to inspire audiences to examine both their knowledge of HIV and take an objective look at how their own cultural or political beliefs might impact their perception of the virus. The “update” served as a platform for a broad variety of activations, including an open letter in the world’s press, an international OOH campaign, college workshops and a bold and provocative installation at the AfrikaBurn festival.

“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” is a long-term campaign to update the global approach to HIV. The campaign won vocal public support from key figures in HIV prevention and research, including:

• Director-General of the W.H.O

• Executive Director of UN AIDS

• South Africa Minister for Health

• Executive Director of the Global Fund

• Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy

• CEO of the Desmond Tutu AIDS Foundation

Globally, the campaign reached over 60 million people. More than 2600 students attended Update HIV workshops in South Africa and Namibia. The open letter reached 600,000+ readers via print alone.

In April 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: “Update HIV”’s true success will be measured in 2030.

The profile of the HIV epidemic varies widely across cultures and geographies. A health crisis that once primarily impacted homosexual men in Europe now disproportionately affects young, sub- Saharan African women. The campaign thus had to factor in the broad differences in attitudes to HIV across different populations, ensuring that assets and messaging could be adapted where necessary.

Winning the support of the international HIV community was critical to achieving the campaign’s aim of updating global HIV prevention strategies. The campaign achieved this through its presence at key assemblies and partnerships with respected figures in the field of HIV research and prevention.