Our thinking

Changing behaviours, one herpes joke at a time

27 June, 2025

Let’s be honest, herpes isn’t exactly the easiest topic to talk about. It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and often surrounded by silence. But in New Zealand, they tried something different: Jokes. 

With the mock-tourism campaign “Make New Zealand the Best Place in the World to Have Herpes,”  the Herpes Foundation tackled stigma head-on, not with shame or statistics, but with humour and celebrity pride. Think rugby legend Sir Graham Henry and ex-health chief Sir Ashley Bloomfield inviting Kiwis to take a “destigmatisation course”, making the topic feel less awkward, even a bit proud. 

And it worked. In one week, the course got over 10,000 hours of views, five million views on social media, and pushed New Zealand from 9th to 6th place on the global Herpes Stigma Index, a leaderboard ranking ten countries by levels of public stigma around the virus. 

It’s a good reminder: if we want people to engage, especially on sensitive topics, we need to make it feel safe. Familiar. Even fun. Because shame shuts people down. But humour? It opens the door. 

That’s exactly what we do with SKY Girls, too. Across Africa, it helps teenage girls navigate serious issues, like smoking, peer pressure, HIV, or money. But instead of heavy messaging, SKY Girls starts with what girls love: music, fashion, friendships. It’s about making serious issues feel relatable, cool, and part of their world, not apart from it.

Herpes jokes don’t sound like a public health solution. But sometimes, a laugh is what it takes to change the conversation. And with it, change behaviours too. 

By Justine Bahoumina