The Ontario HIV Treatment Network is relying on OOH to remind Canadians that HIV is still a problem.

The nonprofit organization is launching a multi-phase campaign called “KnowHIV” to raise awareness about HIV risks, prevention and testing alternatives, and to de-stigmatize the disease. The campaign includes billboards, posters, digital ads and influencer marketing, as well as traditional and new media buys. M&K Media handles media buying while Fook Communications is behind the creative.

Until February 2025, the nonprofit will run digital ads on TTC, billboards and street signs in targeted locations throughout downtown Toronto, the GTA (including several University of Toronto campuses), Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Niagara Falls, London, Hamilton, Windsor and Oshawa. The billboards will also be visible on major connecting highways throughout the province.

The campaign message will also appear on the largest billboard in Sankofa Square (formerly known as Yonge-Dundas Square) throughout December. In addition, influencers will talk about the campaign on social media until February, and the organization has created a dedicated website to provide information on HIV testing, prevention and treatment services.

“The OHTN and our partners have been intentional in how we set up this campaign to achieve broader reach than ever before,” said Rodney Rousseau, Ontario HIV Treatment Network board president. “This phase of the campaign is purely about this message, which is why we’ve chosen to stick to clear messaging and visuals.”

The visibility the campaign will receive through the OOH placements will also help to break down the systemic and societal barriers that people with HIV face in obtaining care. “We know we need to address those barriers to improve access to services, so we have made a deliberate decision not to include faces in the images in the first phase of the ‘KnowHIV’ campaign to be as inclusive as possible,” said Martin McIntosh, regional HIV/AIDS connection executive director, an organization within a network of AIDS Service Organizations that worked on the campaign.

The campaign further supports the Ontario HIV Treatment Network’s mission to stop transmission of the disease in Ontario by 2030 and ensure that all HIV-positive people are diagnosed and have access to treatment and care.

According to 2023 data published by the Ontario HIV Epidemiology and Surveillance Initiative (housed by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network), there were 23,172 people in Ontario living with HIV in 2021. Approximately, 90% of those living with the disease have been diagnosed, but approximately 10% are still undiagnosed and do not know they have it. Ninety-eight percent of people living with HIV and on treatment also have a low or undetectable viral load, meaning they cannot transmit the virus sexually.

“We want people to know a lot has changed in HIV care since the epidemic of the eighties and nineties.” said McIntosh. “Today, with effective treatment, people living with HIV can lead long, healthy lives with no risk of passing HIV to their sexual partners. Still, many don’t see themselves as at risk or face ongoing systemic and social barriers to care.”