NZAF - SPERM POSITIVE

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TitleNZAF - SPERM POSITIVE
BrandNEW ZEALAND AIDS FOUNDATION
Product / ServiceHIV PREVENTION
CategoryE03. Disease Awareness & Understanding
EntrantDDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Idea Creation DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Media Placement MANGO Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
PR MANGO Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Production DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Production 2 COLLECTIVE FORCE Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Post Production DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Damon Stapleton DDB Group New Zealand Chief Creative Officer
Gary Steele DDB Group New Zealand Executive Creative Director
Haydn Kerr DDB Group New Zealand Creative Director
Jacob Newton DDB Group New Zealand Copywriter
Josep Jover DDB Group New Zealand Art Director
Danica Paki DDB Group New Zealand Business Lead
Paris Reardon DDB Group New Zealand Business Manager
Rina Transom DDB Group New Zealand Senior Digital Producer
Jason Vertongen DDB Group New Zealand Head of Design
Danillo Castilho DDB Group New Zealand Lead Front End Developer
Anastasia Maslennikova DDB Group New Zealand Motion Designer
Amanda Summersby DDB Group New Zealand Post Production Producer
Dan Cummings DDB Group New Zealand Editor
Mike Hammond DDB Group New Zealand Senior Editor
Marcel de Ruiter DDB Group New Zealand Studio Director
Nicole Dekker DDB Group New Zealand Senior Mac Designer
Anna Hall DDB Group New Zealand Senior Business Director
Paul Edwards DDB Group New Zealand Mac Designer
Libby Cavenett The Collective Force Producer
Tom Robertson The Collective Force Photographer
Jason Jones The Collective Force Photography Producer
Dylan Crummer The Collective Force Content Producer
Katy Hughes Mango Communications Senior Account Director
Chloe Leuschke Mango Communications Group Business Director
Anthony Walton New Zealand Aids Foundation Marketing & Communications Lead
Mark Fisher Body Positive Inc Executive Director
Jane Bruning Positive Women National Coordinator
Micky Power New Zealand AIDS Foundation Marketing, Communications & Fundraising Manager

Why is this work relevant for PR?

In creating the world's first HIV-positive sperm bank we were able to deliver our key message, that when treated, HIV cannot be passed on. HIV is a polarising topic with a heavy stigma, so by leaning into the problem we were able to create a campaign that generated a global conversation on the topic, making a huge impact on a very small budget. Sperm Positive has influenced opinions on HIV, leading to a change in attitudes that has seen people begin to not only accept people living with HIV, but accept them as sperm donors to have a child with.

Describe any restrictions or regulations regarding Healthcare/RX/Pharma communications in your country/region including:

The sperm donor industry typically rejects HIV-positive sperm donors. This is largely due to the fact that there is a lack of awareness that HIV cannot be passed on when treated.

Describe the target audience and why your work is relevant to them.

By launching an HIV-positive sperm bank, people living with HIV were given the opportunity to do something they never thought they would be able to do - create life, and be apart of a campaign that educates the world about the reality of their condition.

Background

Since 1981, HIV has been a death sentence. Medical advancements have changed that – and now, with treatment, HIV becomes undetectable in the body and cannot be passed on, even through unprotected sex, bodily fluid, or childbirth. But because most people don't know this, the stigma of HIV has never changed. For World AIDS Day 2019, the New Zealand AIDS Foundation needed an idea that would fight the stigma of HIV by showing that the virus cannot be passed on in a way the world has never seen before. We needed the campaign to have a big impact on a very small budget and create a new conversation about the truth of HIV. So, we did the unthinkable – we created the world’s first sperm bank for HIV-positive sperm donors.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

To show the world that HIV cannot be passed on, we created Sperm Positive: The World’s First HIV-Positive Sperm Bank. The online sperm bank gave men living with HIV the opportunity to join and become sperm donors, it gave women the opportunity to register as recipients and allowed us to create a PR-led conversation that would show the world that HIV cannot be passed on in the most undeniable way possible – childbirth.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

The stigma of HIV still exists all over the world – it’s a hugely polarizing topic. So, we leaned into the problem to ensure we could create a conversation topic that would make a big impact on a very small budget. By creating a sperm bank for HIV-positive sperm donors, we were able to create a campaign that shocked and educated people all over the world, delivering our key message that when treated, HIV cannot be passed on - even through childbirth. It also allowed us to reach out to our community of men and women living with HIV, so we could share their stories and let them be a part of tackling the stigma of HIV.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

We used World AIDS Day 2019 to launch Sperm Positive, opening our online sperm bank at a time when HIV was most relevant. As well as calling for donors and recipients to register, the sperm bank shared information about how that when treated, HIV cannot be passed on and allowed them to join. Because the stigma of HIV still exists all over the world and is a hugely polarizing topic, we leaned into the problem to ensure we could create a conversation topic that would make a big impact on a very small budget. Our call for donors and recipients was quickly picked up by media all over the world, sharing our key message, and generating a global conversation about the reality of HIV.

List the results (30% of vote)

Sperm Positive instantly created a global conversation about the reality of HIV. Within a week, 94 countries shared our story, as we managed to reach an audience of over 1.8 billion. Now, Sperm Positive isn't just changing beliefs - it's changing lives. To date, 4 babies are due in 2021, 32 women have registered as recipients, 27 HIV-positive sperm donors have joined. And at 9:10am on January 19th, 2021, our first mother went into labour - the first birth from an HIV-positive sperm bank. Our campaign has changed behaviors in a way few thought was possible - it has seen people not only begin to accept people living with HIV, but to accept them as sperm donors to have a child with.

Links

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