Insight:
In spite of 40 years of education about HIV, the stigma around the disease remains as prevalent today as ever, mainly because of misunderstandings around transmission. This stigma keeps a large number of people with HIV from disclosing their status, leading to loneliness, isolation, and mental health issues.

A survey that Bensimon Byrne and its sister agencies Narrative and OneMethod conducted found 65 million North Americans feel they would be shunned by friends, family, and co-workers if they revealed they were HIV+. This stark reality is vastly underrepresented in popular culture: there has never been a mainstream television program that has tackled HIV stigma.

Execution:
As one of the largest purpose-built HIV/AIDS hospitals in the world, Casey House wanted to continue its multi-year campaign to smash stigma, educate about transmission, and help people relate to the experience of living with HIV. The agencies had to show the devastating effects of stigma in a way that would make people take notice. So they used beloved characters from Friends and The Office, two of the most streamed shows on earth.

They searched 236 episodes of Friends and 203 episodes of The Office to find scenes that could be re-edited and reordered to create the unthinkable: HIV+ Episodes, New episodes where iconic TV characters are HIV+ and facing the isolation of stigma. The team hired voice impersonators from across North America to replace dialogue, and lookalikes for each actor, so they could swap voices and faces using innovative post-production.

The organization launched “Losing Friends” and “The Toxic Office” worldwide on SmashStigma.ca and with a private media screening featuring a panel of HIV+ influencers discussing the impact of stigma in their lives. The agencies drove traffic to the site through social, mass, and earned media. To show the episode was more than fiction, HIV+ influencers bravely shared their stories on the website, bringing a personal and human viewpoint to HIV stigma.

Result:
The launch became a global conversation within 24 hours – with over 200 stories, 10 million social impressions, and 200 million media impressions within the first day of launch. And most impressive, after viewing our episodes, 88% of people felt more empathetic to those who live with HIV.

Credits
Client: Casey House
Campaign: HIV+ Episodes
Agency: Bensimon Byrne
Digital Agency: OneMethod

HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was, but HIV stigma lives on. Myths persist about how the disease is spread—through saliva, food, and drink. When polled, 50% of Canadians said they wouldn’t knowingly eat a meal prepared by someone with HIV.
 
 

Casey House wanted to challenge this ignorance with truth and compassion. And so the idea for a pop-up restaurant was born: June’s, the first-ever HIV-positive eatery. 14 people with HIV became something more than just their disease—they became chefs. For three nights, they chopped, sliced, and sautéed under the watchful eye of head chef Matt Basile. Together, they invited patrons to smash stigma by breaking bread and swallow the prejudice condemning so many HIV-positive people to suffer in silence.

Credits
Client: Casey House
Campaign: Break Bread Smash Stigma
Advertising Agency: Bensimon Byrne
Category: Public Interest, NGO
Production Company: Button Factory
Medium: Experiential advertising
Tags: HIV, AIDS, Stigma, Public Health Agency, Canada, Toronto, June’s Eatery