“headspace” Campaign Highlights Mental Health Issues
24 April 2012 at 3:28 pm
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Daniel vs the Black Cloud is one of the six advertisments being rolled out as part of the new headspace campaign. |
A national awareness campaign developed by National Youth Mental Health Foundation headspace aims to dramatically increase Australians' awareness of everyday mental health issues affecting them and their friends.
The campaign, developed with Melbourne creative agency Draftfcb, will reach young people in cinemas, on television and radio and through youth-oriented publications and outdoor advertising. The campaign will run for the next 3 years.
Using cutting-edge animation, the TV and cinema ads build on the imagery of old-style boxing posters to depict various mental health issues – such as depression, anxiety and relationship break-ups – as battles that young people can win, with headspace in their corner.
headspace chief executive Chris Tanti said the campaign, being rolled out in partnership with Hoyts and Channel 11, marked a new phase in headspace's engagement with the those eligible to use its services – young people aged 12-25.
"Over our short history, headspace has already helped 62,000 young people deal with everyday issues in their lives before they become big problems," Tanti said.
"Whether they drop into one of our 40 centres around the country, or access our online support service eheadspace, young people are increasingly becoming aware that headspace 'has their back'.
"This campaign aims to significantly increase that awareness, reaching young people in the places they go for entertainment, and across the channels the access for information."
The campaign features seven print ads (which will also be used for online and postcard campaigns), three television and cinema versions and three radio ads. The ads cover six everyday issues that young people commonly struggle with as they approach adulthood and beyond.
These are:
- Depression (Daniel vs the Black Cloud and Jasmine vs the Black Cloud)
- Exam/School Stress (David vs the Avalanche of Exams)
- Anxiety (Sarah vs the Dreaded Butterflies)
- Drugs (Luke vs the Smoke Screen)
- Relationship break up (James vs the Broken Heart)
- Fitting in around sexuality or with regard to family pressure (Angleo vs the Pressure to Pretend)
During the campaign launch, headspace announced a corporate partnership with The Hoyts Group, Australia's leading filmed entertainment company. Hoyts has donated advertising screen space in its cinemas and is also working with headspace to establish a program to educate its Cinema Managers on how to identify and assist staff going through a tough time.
"This program is very important to Hoyts and we are proud to be on board. We have a young workforce, and their well-being is vital," Delfin Fernandez, chief executive of The Hoyts Group said.
"Our Managers can encounter issues in their staff that are similar to those headspace sees in its centres. With headspace's help, we will arm our Cinema Managers with the skills to identify and guide their teams on how to deal with these issues and to suggest external help where appropriate.
"We want our people to know that we support them and that there are solutions."
- Check out: James vs The Broken Heart
- As well as: Sarah vs The Dreaded Butterflies
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This is a brilliant campaign. I commend Hoyts for their initiative in their support of this campaign through their partnership with headspace. Well done Hoyts and Headspace for supporting our youth in the challenges they face in their daily lives.