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Event
Monthly Marketing Meetup | July
Join us at the MA for an evening of networking and discussion!
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Event
Off the Clock Networking Event 2025
Absolutely, Positively, Christchurch! What is Going On in Ōtautahi?
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Event
BE BRAVE with Thomas Barta Event 2025
Be Brave: Unlock Growth, Lead Change, and Redefine Your Marketing Career with Thomas Barta
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Event
Brainy Breakfast 2025 / Wellington
Bold Campaigns, Authentic Voices: How to Create Marketing That Resonates, Empowers, and Sparks Conversation
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Speakers
Hilary Ngan Kee
Partner & Head of Strategy
Motion Sickness
The Viral Campaign That Turned Herpes into a Source of National Pride
Co-presenting with Melina Fiolitakis, Creative Director, Motion Sickness
‘The Best Place in The World to Have Herpes’ by agency Motion Sickness is the world’s most unlikely tourism campaign, underpinned by an important health message. Featuring a first-of-its-kind ‘Herpes Destigmatisation Course’, a competitive global ranking system underpinned by live data, and plenty of irreverent kiwi humour, this campaign took an unusual approach to reducing herpes stigma – framing it as the key to restoring New Zealand’s diminished sense of national pride.
Over 8 weeks, New Zealand rallied behind the cause and climbed the rankings, beating the rest of the world to claim this illustrious title, and changing attitudes toward herpes in the process.
During this reveal-all conversation, Hilary & Mel from Motion Sickness will cover:
- How the agency used local insights to inspire the campaign.
- The creative use of data, and data science, that inspired the nation to compete.
- How the agency got iconic Kiwis to be in a Herpes ad pretty much for free.
- Provoking an important conversation with 13 million impressions.
About Hilary
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Melina Fiolitakis
Creative Director
Motion Sickness
The Viral Campaign That Turned Herpes into a Source of National Pride
Co-presenting with Hilary Ngan Kee, Partner & Head of Strategy, Motion Sickness
‘The Best Place in The World to Have Herpes’ by agency Motion Sickness is the world’s most unlikely tourism campaign, underpinned by an important health message. Featuring a first-of-its-kind ‘Herpes Destigmatisation Course’, a competitive global ranking system underpinned by live data, and plenty of irreverent kiwi humour, this campaign took an unusual approach to reducing herpes stigma – framing it as the key to restoring New Zealand’s diminished sense of national pride.
Over 8 weeks, New Zealand rallied behind the cause and climbed the rankings, beating the rest of the world to claim this illustrious title, and changing attitudes toward herpes in the process.
During this reveal-all conversation, Hilary & Mel from Motion Sickness will cover:
- How the agency used local insights to inspire the campaign.
- The creative use of data, and data science, that inspired the nation to compete.
- How the agency got iconic Kiwis to be in a Herpes ad pretty much for free.
- Provoking an important conversation with 13 million impressions.
About Mel
Melina Fiolitakis is a creative director with a passion for the iconic and unusual. Her famous campaigns include the Bottled Walkman, the Swim Reaper, The Department of Lost Nights and more recently, the Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning ‘Make New Zealand the Best Place in the World to Have Herpes’. Melina’s work has been celebrated at award shows all over the world, tattooed on peoples’ bodies, and archived in Te Papa and the Museum of Modern Art.
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