2020 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Challenges and Goals:
In 2018, Bensimon Byrne created the world’s first HIV-positive eatery and named it “June’s” after the founder of Casey House, a global leader in HIV/AIDS care. It then challenged Canadians to confront their own misconceptions about the disease: would they eat a meal prepared by someone with HIV?
The objective was to smash the stigma that’s still so dangerously prevalent around HIV. A year later, however, the non-profit is still dealing with the challenges of smashing stigma. Although its eatery helped decrease online stigma by 10% over the year, an astounding number of Canadians are still misinformed about HIV and transmission. To push the conversation, it needed a fresh approach and to bring the issue even closer to home.

The campaign needed to change people’s perceptions of HIV-positive people, dispel the myths around transmission through touch, and generate as much earned media as possible to turn a tiny $30K media budget into something far reaching.

Insights and Strategy:
To understand how ostracizing the experience of living with HIV is for those who are HIV+, the agency conducted first-hand interviews with 30 different Casey House patients. In its interviews, the team learned how individuals with HIV often experience the same lack of connection, touch and comfort in their lives and how the one thing they almost all shared was a desperate longing for touch.

Ipsos data confirmed just how many people pull away and why: more than half of North Americans admitted to being uncomfortable with the idea of touching someone with HIV. Without forcing the issue and provoking confrontation, these misguided and dangerous misconceptions would go unchecked and people living with HIV would continue to suffer in silence and isolation.

Execution:
The agency created Healing House, a wellness spa designed to fight HIV stigma and to boldly demonstrate how an HIV-positive person’s touch has the power to be healing rather than threatening.

It launched the world’s first HIV-positive spa to draw attention to the fundamental human need for touch, its therapeutic benefits, and how it’s often withheld from people with HIV. Bensimon then worked with the RMT from the Toronto Blue Jays to train 18 HIV-positive volunteers (Healers) to perform neck, back and shoulder massages.

To stoke interest with the press, the Casey House “Healers” created an essential oil, which was sent to over 200 media along with a spa certificate for a free massage. The goal was to get as many journalists as possible to receive their treatments live on camera.

Healing House opened to the media on November 29 and to the public on November 30 and December 1 to coincide with World AIDS Day. Every appointment on Media Day was booked by over 60 journalists, many of whom received their massages on camera as part of their stories.

The idea for a spa staffed by HIV-positive employees shocked a massive number of people. They welcomed the shade, the ignorance and downright hate. And they capitalized on the opportunity to elevate the conversation, spur questions, and educate people about a disease that’s still largely misunderstood.
The public received hundreds of free massages. Many people found that their intention to provide comfort and connection to someone with HIV was reciprocated, revealing just how much they themselves were in need of human connection and healing.

Results
The results were staggering. With a media budget of just $30K, Healing House amassed a media value of $11 million. Many journalists received their massage live on camera, resulting in 66% of Canadians seeing or hearing the Healers talk about HIV stigma. In total, the campaign generated over 540 stories and 360 million impressions; 120 of those stories were broadcast.
On social, it generated more conversation around HIV stigma in three days than in all of 2018. Most importantly, Healing House changed minds: 85% of participants felt more compassion for those with HIV and 77% said it changed their perception of people with HIV.

Credits

Executive Creative Director: Joseph Bonnici
Creative Director: Gints Bruveris
Creative Director: Debbie Chan
Creative Director: David Mueller
Creative Director (Narrative): Meredith Klapowich
Creative Director (Narrative): Laura Serra
Writer: David Mueller
Writer: Matthew Valenzano
Art Director: Debbie Chan
Art Director: Gints Bruveris
Art Director (Narrative): Katherine Flores
Strategist: Kristina Kosa
Agency Producer: Daniel Rankin
Business Lead: Laura Robinson
Program Director: Ashley Belfast
Project Manager: Sadaf Ghandehari
Photographer: Matt Barnes
Media Director: Thomas Shadoff
Media Supervisor: Darra Naiman
Community Manager: Rebecca Milner
Public Relations Agency: Narrative
Managing Director: Sarah Spence
Account Director: Lauren Baswick
Senior Account Manager: Kylee Berencsi
Media Relations: Cheryl Holmes, Jackie Kleinberg, Yolonda Abrahams, Tony Koutoulas
Account Manager: Jessica Leroux
Associate Account Manager: Katie Muekusch
Event Producers: Gigi Rabnett, Holly McDonald
Event Support: Vanessa Kissoon
Project Consultant: Jordan MacInnis
Account Coordinator: Olivia Crane

Client Team:
Chief Executive Officer: Joanne Simons
Chief Marketing Officer: Mark Trask