Watch the full ad here:

Asad's thoughts:

"The Power - and Price - of Being Unforgettable

The UK Government’s “Don’t Die of Ignorance” AIDS campaign is etched into advertising history - not just for its creative power, but for its cultural fallout.

Launched in the late 1980s, it was unforgettable: tombstones crashing, smoke billowing, John Hurt’s warning voice. It was advertising designed to terrify, and it worked. People changed their behaviour. Lives were saved.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: it also left scars. For gay men especially, the ad didn’t just warn of a virus - it cemented fear, shame, and stigma that would last for decades. It was so effective at equating AIDS with death that it accidentally built a cultural narrative around queer lives as dangerous, doomed, or tragic. Many of us are still dismantling that residue today.

That paradox is the real lesson. Advertising can be powerful enough to shape not just behaviour, but identity - to write stigma into the fabric of culture. Which begs the question: when we create campaigns around social issues, do we stop to ask what footprint they’ll leave behind? Not just tomorrow, but thirty years from now?

This ad reminds us that fear can shock people into action, but empathy builds resilience. The future of advertising must balance urgency with care - tackling crises in ways that change behaviour without scarring communities.

It’s a cultural icon, yes. But also a cautionary tale: in our rush to be effective, we should never forget to consider the cost of being unforgettable."