2019 Winner

Casey House

The Healing House

Bensimon Byrne

GoldPublic Service - Best Use of Media - Best in Experiential/Special Event/Stunts

HIV is not spread through touch, yet half of the North American public is afraid to make contact with someone who is HIV+. To dispel the myth and humanize the issue through the power of touch, Toronto HIV/AIDS hospital Casey House created “Healing House,” a pop-up spa that offered free massage treatments from people with HIV. Videos promoting the wellness spa ran on paid social and programmatic, and then 60 journalists were booked for massages before it opened to the public. With a paid media budget of just $30,000, “Healing House” generated 540 news stories ($11 million dollars of media value). And with 77% of participants saying they felt more compassion for those with HIV, it changed perceptions.

Credits
Creative Agency: Bensimon Byrne / Narrative
Executive Creative Director: Joseph Bonnici Creative Director(s): Gints Bruveris / Meredith Klapowich / David Mueller / Laura Serra / Debbie Chan Art Director(s): Gints Bruveris / Meredith Klapowich / Debbie Chan / Katherine Flores Writer(s): David Mueller / Laura Serra / Matt Valenzano Agency Producer: Daniel Rankin Program Director: Ashley Belfast Project Manager: Sadaf Ghandehari Business Lead: Laura Robinson Photographer: Matt Barnes Studio: Westside Studios Producer: Natalie D’Urbano Videographer: Lulu Wei Media Director: Thomas Shadoff Associate Digital Media Director: Jennifer Will Media Supervisor: Darra Naiman Digital Analytics Manager: Eugene Makhouleen Social Media Manager: Kristina Kosa Community Manager: Rebecca Milner Creative Technologist: Jamie Kaiser Director of Studio Production: Sanjay Mangar Retoucher: Alex Chung Studio Artists: Jacquie Dudley, Matthew Szulczewski

Public Relations Agency: Narrative
Managing Director: Sarah Spence Project Director: Lauren Baswick Project Senior Management: Kylee Berencsi Project Manager: Jessica Leroux Media + Influencer Relations Lead: Cheryl Holmes Media Relations: Jackie Kleinberg, Tony Koutoulas Influencer Relationsr: Katie Muekusch Event Producers: Gigi Rabnett, Holly McDonald Event Support: Vanessa Kissoon Project Consultant: Jordan MacInnis Account Coordinator: Olivia Crane

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