BC Persons With AIDS Society Receives Major Advertising Award

BCPWA Society Chair, Paul Lewand, receives 2006-2007 Humanity Award from BC Association of Broadcasters' President Brett Manlove.

What this means is that, starting in July and running for a full year, television and radio broadcasters across BC will air two 30-second advertisements as part of an anti-discrimination campaign supplied by the BCPWA Society. And they will do it free of charge. Radio stations will broadcast a minimum of 520 airings during the 52-week schedule; televisions stations will air between seven and 25 announcements per week (depending on their local market).

At current published advertising rates, the broadcast value of the campaign is in the neighbourhood of $3 million.

The anti-discrimination campaign will focus on how ill-informed prejudices can make life terribly hard for HIV-positive persons, and will urge interested British Columbians to learn more about the disease and about the people who are living with it.

The Cossette Communications Group – the largest advertising agency in Canada – has agreed to handle and finance the creative and production of the spots the campaign will air, at value of more than $50,000. Steam Films has graciously agreed to fund the production of the TV commercials. As well, a website linked to the campaign, offering more information, will be created and maintained while it’s airing. The website is being donated by Fjord Interactive Marketing + Technology.

BCPWA Society thanks the three community organizations/networks – Vancouver Island Persons Living With HIV/AIDS Society, ANKORS (AIDS Network Outreach and Support Society of Nelson and Cranbrook), and the Pacific AIDS Network – who all contributed letters of support for the proposal and all the individuals and organizations who supported us through this process.

It’s going to be an exciting campaign, and unprecedented in British Columbia.