Viral Social Campaign Calls on Gen Z to Challenge HIV Stigmas

Serviceplan Switzerland, in collaboration with F/A/Q –The Better Health Group (formerly known as ohhh! foundation), Serviceplan Spain, and Mediaplus Germany, have successfully launched a viral campaign on TikTok and Instagram that directly speaks to Generation Z across the globe. The campaign aims to challenge the negative effects of HIV stigma, and advocates for a more informed and compassionate understanding. 

The #UPDATEHIV campaign, initially launched in 2022 with an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) and high-visibility placements in New York City’s Times Square, earned substantial media attention. The social media activation truly came into its own as an online social movement during AfricaBurn 2023, a regional Burning Man festival. At the event, a provocative live installation metaphorically set the HIV stigma ablaze, while an online social experiment with the hashtag #givehivahug demonstrated the empathy and understanding necessary to combat HIV stigma.

With over 5.7M views and over 123,000 interactions on TikTok and Instagram, the #updatehiv and #givehivahug hashtags have sparked a global conversation about HIV among gen z. The campaign was supported by numerous content creators, including @funnykatty2, @doctor.siya, @ahmad.neu, @callme_thandolwethu, and others.

Maximilian Schöngen, general manager global creative lead, Mediaplus Group, explained the choice of the platform and the target audience, "Gen z will, if they did not already, inherit HIV stigma. Today, we have the opportunity to educate, inform and drive change if we choose the right medium, speak their language, and address the problem in a relatable way. That’s why we met stigma with love and used TikTok and Instagram to spread that love in the most effective way. To start a movement that eventually will conclude in updating HIV."

Recently, platforms like TikTok have become hubs for social activism and education on critical issues. One of the campaign influencers, Siyamak Saleh – a doctor and a sexual health educator with 2.7M followers on TikTok - uses his channel to dispel misconceptions and debunk myths about HIV and other sexual health matters. 

He addressed the HIV issue, stating, "There is a tragically simple reason why thousands of people die every year from a highly treatable condition: stigma. It's so strong that people are afraid to seek help." 

Marcin Baba, executive creative director, Serviceplan Suisse, emphasised the role of social media, "The real future of the movement is online. Social media has the power to reach millions of people in ways we could never anticipate. By educating young people on TikTok, we're equipping them with the tools to alter perceptions of HIV in local communities worldwide."

Background of the campaign: an open letter to WHO

Kicking off in 2022 at the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada, the campaign called for an update in the perception of HIV, a call supported by high-level politicians, policymakers, and HIV researchers. After gaining momentum at the 2022 UN Global Assembly in New York City, where a digital ‘Update HIV’ campaign placement was activated in Times Square, and campaign messages were on display at the Nasdaq Tower on World AIDS Day, the campaign escalated with an open letter published on World AIDS Day (December 1st, 2022). The letter urged Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to officially rename HIV, aiming to end decades of fear, stigma, and misinformation. Ghebreyesus responded with a tweet. 

The open letter called HIV an 'epidemic of the mind' that is caused and spread primarily by non-medical factors, and was published in print media including; The Times, Daily Mirror, Handelsblatt and NZZ as well as in digital media and OOH, and accompanied by extensive press coverage and a social media campaign in which influencers spread the campaign message and encouraged people to learn about HIV on the website.

Despite the medical advances making HIV preventable and treatable, fear, stigma, and misinformation continue to fuel the epidemic. Changing the narrative around HIV is the first step towards ending this, as Daniel Nagel, CEO of the F/A/Q – The Better Health Group, explains: "Desmond Tutu once said, 'Language creates the reality it describes.' If we’re to end the HIV epidemic, we need to change the way we think about HIV - starting with a new name.

Join the Movement: Everyone can contribute to this global effort to update perceptions of HIV. Use the hashtags #updatehiv and #givehivahug on TikTok and Instagram to share your support and let's change the conversation together.