How do you solve a problem that is widely underestimated, deeply entrenched in our society, and often perpetrated by people unknowingly?

You laugh at it!

…Seriously.

The problem.

Diabetes stigma – the rejection, exclusion, prejudice, and blame associated with diabetes – has become deeply embedded in our current cultural narratives. It’s why jokes like “Wow, that dessert looks like diabetes on a plate” have become so normalized.

Over 80% of adults living with diabetes report experiencing this form of stigma. It impacts not only the mental and emotional well-being of those living with this condition, but also their physical health, reducing the ability to effectively manage their diabetes. In addition, it obstructs vital awareness and prevention efforts that could help those at risk.

A crucial step towards eliminating diabetes stigma is to replace the current narratives that perpetuate misconceptions and harmful stereotypes with more accurate, respectful, and empowering stories.

However, when the diaTribe Foundation, a diabetes-focused nonprofit dedicated to education and advocacy, began working to address diabetes stigma, it realized quickly that changing cultural narratives was no easy task.

We kept finding ourselves asking the question: How do we create a campaign about stigma that has the power to cut through the noise?

The idea.

It all started with a TikTok doom scroll and a hilarious video.

You see, stand-up comedians have long used diabetes as a punchline. It’s easy to understand why. You say, “sugar,” the audience thinks, “diabetes.” Comedy often relies on shared cultural phenomena and stereotypes. Unfortunately, diabetes is something that a lot of people know very little about, making it a perfect target.

However when I came across Sam Morrison‘s content, I was stopped in my tracks. Here was a comedian, living with diabetes, making jokes about the very stereotypes that lead to stigmatizing interactions and comments. And yet he was doing it without ever making fun of the condition or the people living with it. In fact, I actually learned something new about diabetes-related technology from the very joke he was making. I thought back to diaTribe’s initial problem, “how do we create a anti-stigma campaign that cuts through the noise,” and suddenly, I knew this was an idea worth exploring.

Thankfully, we weren’t the only people working in advocacy who had this idea. Research shows that comedy can be an unlikely, but extremely effective, strategy for messaging and communicating about social change issues like eliminating diabetes stigma. As outlined in one of the defining pieces of inspiration for this campaign, “A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar,” comedy has the power to:

• Increase attention and awareness on specific social issues.
• Lower an audience’s resistance to persuasion.
• Make complex social issues accessible while breaking down the social barriers that prevent people from having difficult conversations.
• Stimulate organic sharing and discussion.

We were encouraged by the countless positive examples of this strategy in action. For example, it’s hard to imagine a world where the same level of progress in LGBTQ+ rights was achieved without the cultural influence of sitcoms like Will and Grace or Modern Family that helped make the normal weird and the weird normal.

That random video on TikTok eventually became the spark that ignited a Spoonful of Laughter. We wanted to emulate the success of other movements while trying something that few have attempted in the diabetes field – cracking jokes about a serious condition!

But first, we needed the right group of people to bring this idea to life.

The campaign.

Together, in a week-long immersive workshop in San Francisco, our team of 25 brainstormed, scripted, cast, and filmed six dynamic comedy videos that demonstrated our proof of concept. One joke led to another and before long we had the makings of a transformative campaign, one that tackles the complexities of diabetes in a way that both entertains and engages audiences.

In October 2024, we launched the campaign. We released our six videos from the workshop alongside curated memes, commissioned user-generated clips, and a healthy dose of supportive educational content across diaTribe’s social media platforms, with a focus on Instagram.

Our objective was to begin shifting the narrative – moving our discussions of diabetes away from fear and judgment and toward curiosity and empathy. We charged our audience to laugh, think, share, and act with each video they encountered. Every piece of content we released reframes people with diabetes as those who commit daily death-defying acts deserving of admiration, awe, and respect. And each uses laughter to illuminate the complex and often hidden mental, physical, and logistical hoops that people with an underperforming pancreas have to jump through daily.

Even though diabetes stigma is no joke, A Spoonful of Laughter showed us that we might be able to end this form of stigma with a killer punchline.

The impact.

Our north star throughout the campaign was a simple mantra. We didn’t want to lecture people into changing their stigmatizing behavior, we wanted to lead them – giggling – into a kinder, more respectful, and more joyful future for all those affected by diabetes.

Since the campaign launched in October 2024, it has achieved over 5 million impression, 350,000 engagements, and 30,000 shares, and it is only continuing to grow. Not only that, but the campaign has inspired others to take up this strategy. Whether its the latest marketing campaign from a leader in the diabetes industry, or a meme account launched by the largest diabetes college chapter network in the US, the Spoonful of Laughter philosophy has reached far beyond just the diaTribe audiences.

You can find additional information about our Spoonful of Laughter campaign in our Impact Report.

If you have any questions about a Spoonful of Laughter, contact me!