A Grand Prix winning powerful partnership with talkSPORT to get men talking about mental health
Awareness around male mental health is higher than ever, but suicide remains the biggest killer of UK males under 50. To make a difference, we needed to increase awareness of Samaritans. More crucially, we needed to encourage help-seeking behaviour, among those in need, before it’s too late.
We hijacked the one thing men talk about emotionally: sport. Partnering with talkSPORT, we trained presenters and pundits on how to discuss the difficult and sensitive topic of suicide in a positive and helpful way, and got men to Talk to talkSPORT. We had admired, but relatable sporting greats tell hope-filled recovery stories, facilitating and normalising mental health conversation among men, and directed sufferers to support content, prompting action.
We really struck a chord. Helpline calls experienced an 11% rise in unique callers during launch week, web traffic went up 34% YOY with page views and session duration increasing by 20% and 21% respectively. Not to mention this campaign won the 2020 Campaign Media Awards Grand Prix!