3 Effective Marketing Campaigns Promoting Mental Health Wellness

Mental illness is an issue that affects one in five American adults every year, and awareness around the dangers of untreated depression and other medical conditions related to mental health is growing. Well-implemented campaigns promoting the importance of understanding and treating mental illness can reach audiences struggling with finding help.

With Help From A Future King And England’s Football Association (FA), #HeadsUp Focuses On Getting Men And Athletes The Mental Health Support They Need

The Duke of Cambridge (AKA Prince William) is in a unique position to create a specific program addressing the mental health needs of men and athletes. “As President of The FA I saw an opportunity to bring the sport I love – that many men talk about more than anything else in their lives – to help lead the next phase of the conversation [around mental health],” said the Duke.

Heads Together, a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, partners with #HeadsUp, which focuses on helping athletes talk about their mental health struggles. By making the mental health issues of FA athletes more public, #HeadsUp hopes to increase the comfort among non-athletes, and particularly men, to also share their own stories of depression, grief and other issues that may be difficult to discuss. The #HeadsUp movement has the support of top tier sponsors, including Emirates, and elite athletes, who have participated in a series of videos promoting #HeadsUp and airing across YouTube and other social media platforms. The Cambridges and participating athletes also regularly use their social media feeds to highlight #HeadsUp initiatives.

By Tapping Into The Sharing Spirit Of Social Media, Instagram Launched #HereForYou

In 2017, Instagram introduced #HereForYou. Timed to launch during May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month, the powerful social media platform set out to merge the natural tendency of people to share their mental health journeys on Instagram with the power of the community to help. “Every day on Instagram, we see people share their mental health journeys and connect with communities of support. From dedicated accounts around an issue to unique hashtags adopted by groups, these communities are helping to make illnesses that are often invisible to friends and family visible through photos and videos,” said Kevin Systrom, Co-Founder and CEO of Instagram.

The team at Instagram also created tools in the app that make it easier to anonymously help Instagram users who may need additional help with mental health struggles. After receiving a tip, Instagram reaches out to the user, offering support options, including connecting the user with mental health organizations. According to Systrom’s blog, “half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14,” making social media a natural outlet to reach teens who may be struggling. A Pew Research study found 34% of teens share things on social media related to their “emotions and feelings.”

A Campaign To Bring Awareness To Postpartum Depression Included A Multichannel Strategy Geared At Medical Professionals And Moms

“It comes down to stopping power,” said Kathryn Black, a team member from the agency behind the postpartum depression (PPD) awareness campaign for Sage Therapeutics. “We needed to really shatter the stigma and this culture of silence associated with postpartum depression.”

Sage Therapeutics wanted to convey the seriousness of the subject while also capturing the attention of medical professionals and moms. By settling on the “culture of silence” around PPD, which impacts 10-20% of new moms but goes undiagnosed 50% of the time, as the thematic touchpoint for the advertising, the campaign was able to create a compelling promotion that deployed across a variety of channels.

The advertising featured women sucking on “silencing” pacifiers and launched during the annual American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists conference. The campaign included static panels, hanging banners, door drops, elevator clings, interactive kiosks and a video wall showing women in the campaign spitting out pacifiers. The campaign was in support of Sage Pharmaceuticals’ new PPD medication and led to increased chatter and awareness around the mental health needs of new moms.

DMS Partners With Headstrong To Honor Our Veterans

After working tirelessly and facing unimaginable risks during active duty, many of our veterans suffer from their hidden wounds of war. Partnering with Headstrong, a charitable organization committed to ending veteran suicide and providing high-quality mental health care, the DMS Heroes & Legends Ultramarathon is a moment to show our support and recognize the incredible contributions of America’s veterans. Running relay style, four teams of DMS runners will traverse the 220-mile course to raise funds for veteran mental health services.

Would you consider sponsoring our event? As a DMS Heroes & Legends sponsor, you’ll be helping Headstrong fulfill their mission.