Mental Health Campaigns: How Brands Can Make a Lasting Impact

From the clothes we wear to the food we eat, our choices are influenced by the ads we encounter and the brands behind them. But some brands are using their influence for good, sparking important conversations about crucial topics like mental health. They achieve this through carefully executed mental health campaigns. 

As consumers increasingly value companies that prioritize well-being, these campaigns are fostering deeper connections and building a stronger brand image. 

However, creating impactful mental health campaigns requires careful planning and execution. Wondering how to do that? You’re in the right place! This blog dives into the world of mental health campaigns, exploring successful examples and offering strategies to help you craft genuine and relevant campaigns that resonate with your audience.  Ready to explore how your brand can make a lasting impact? Let’s go!

The Growing Focus on Mental Wellbeing

Mental health has become a critical conversation, gaining momentum for a reason. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports nearly one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.  Factors like increasing urbanization and related stress, along with other macroeconomic issues, are also linked to the rise in mental health concerns. Clearly, these issues impact people of all ages and backgrounds. Thankfully, societal attitudes are shifting positively.

Brands hold a powerful position in society owing to their vast reach, resources, and influence. Recognizing this, several brands are leveraging their power to initiate crucial conversations around mental health. These conversations allow them to engage authentically with customers, transcending a mere promotional dimension. Consequently, by fostering deeper connections, brands establish that they truly care. 

However, in marketing, it’s always about relevance. Because without the right timing, even the best ideas can prove to be futile. So, the first question to address today will be – when should you plan your mental health campaigns? While they might seem relevant on several occasions there are a few where several brands pitch in and launch their own mental health campaigns. Here are a few: 

  • World Mental Health Day – October 10
  • Mental Health Awareness Month – May 
  • National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day (in the U.S.) – May 7
  • International Day of Happiness – March 20
  • #TimeToTalk Day (in the U.K.) – first Thursday of February 
  • National Stress Awareness Month (in the U.S.) – April 
  • Self Care Month – 24th June to 24th July 

As you can see, there are various opportunities throughout the year to launch mental health campaigns. Now let’s talk about some successful mental health campaigns and the strategies behind them, offering inspiration for your own initiatives.

8 Mental Health Campaigns + Lessons to Take Away From Them 

1. Disney’s Let’s Reset

Let’s Reset from Disney is a great example of drafting industry-specific campaigns to maximize impact. For this, Disney collaborated with the UK’s Film and TV Charity to tackle mental health challenges within the film and television industry. The 12-month-long campaign aimed at championing an inclusive work environment and challenging the stigma associated with mental health discussions. 

Lessons to take away from this campaign: 

  • There is strength in numbers. One of the main reasons for the massive reach of this campaign was Disney’s move to collaborate with multiple studios to contribute resources and expertise. 
  • It also shows that clearly targeted strategies work better in place of broadening your scope too much especially because mental health campaigns are about sounding relatable and initiating conversations. 

KIMP Tip: Notice how Disney created a strong visual identity for the campaign. Mental health campaigns need to be taken seriously and depending on the number of organizations you collaborate with and the time period for which your campaign extends, you need to ensure consistency throughout. Hence, a strong visual identity, perhaps a logo for your mental health initiative can all go a long way! 

2. Norwich City Football Club’s “You Are Not Alone” 

The “You Are Not Alone” campaign is a powerful example of raising mental health awareness and encouraging people to seek help when required. Launched in 2021 on World Mental Health Day, the video went viral for its simple yet impactful message.

The video features two friends attending Norwich City matches throughout a season. One friend appears happy and outgoing, while the other seems to be withdrawn and quiet. However, the final scene reveals that the outgoing friend has passed away by suicide. The idea of the video is to shatter the illusion of happiness and highlight the hidden struggles people can face.

Lessons to take away from this campaign:

  • Emotional storytelling can be a powerful tool especially when it comes to discussing difficult topics like the one in the “You Are Not Alone” video. 
  • Have a unified message. Mental health is a broad topic. Hence to make the most impact you need to zero in on one message for your mental health campaign. In this case, it is about “checking in on those around you”. 
3. Soulboost’s Great Reshuffle Reset 

Mental health campaigns that are situationally aware and mindful of the current state of mind of the public are the most effective ones. The Great Reshuffle Reset Campaign from PepsiCo’s sparkling water brand Soulboost is a good example of one such campaign that was created based on recent trends. 

The post-COVID era saw massive shifts in the workforce including a drastic increase in the number of resignations and this was dubbed the Great Reshuffle. Embracing the changes and the mindset that prevailed around the time, Soulboost launched the Great Reshuffle Reset campaign. 

The online sweepstakes promised five winners rewards of up to $5,000 to take a journey to their favorite destination to welcome change and to reset before their next step. 

Lessons to take away from this campaign:

  • Rather than generic topics, identify the topics that your target audience is currently discussing. One that feels most relevant to their current state of mind.
  • Since the campaign was about offering a chance to reset and rejuvenate, it demonstrated empathy and support for the challenges people were facing. Mental health campaigns that prioritize genuine care and understanding of the audience’s struggles are the most effective.
4. When YoungMinds UK demonstrated the art of simple conversations 

One thing we would like to reiterate at this point is that mental health campaigns do not always have to be built on heavy budgets. 

YoungMinds, UK shared the below Instagram post for Mental Health Awareness Week. The idea is simple and straightforward and hence it clicked with the audience. The comment section of the post is a testament to this. 

Lessons to take away from this campaign:

  • You do not always need resource-intensive campaigns that span multiple channels to actually make an impact through a mental health campaign. One that feels genuine and personal automatically attracts attention and initiates conversations. 
  • Put your audience in the forefront. Instead of being the speaker, try being the listener and that works wonders for your mental health campaigns. In this case, YoungMinds chose to allow users to share their thoughts rather than bombarding them with mental health quotes like most other brands do. 

KIMP Tip: The overall visual style of your post can be a silent influencer of how effectively the theme and the message are communicated. In this case, the handwritten note style aligns with the idea of inviting users to share their thoughts. Similarly, identify the right visual theme to reflect your core message. 

5. Mind engages with resourceful content 

The below post from the renowned mental health charity, Mind shows how resourceful posts never go out of style when it comes to mental health discussions. 

In this post, Mind focuses on educating the audience about a single aspect of mental health, Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. The post also delves into the nuanced benefits of being part of and feeling included in an LGBTQIA+ community. The post was shared during Pride Month and hence the discussion stays within the theme. 

Along with the post, Mind also shared informative content on the page in order to raise awareness and bring more people into the discussion. 

Lessons to take away from this campaign:

  • Educational content can be valuable in mental health campaigns. So, focus on creating content that helps demystify mental health issues and provides audiences with the knowledge they need to better understand and manage their mental health.
  • Aligning your mental health campaign with significant dates or themes can enhance its resonance and impact. Like Mind sharing this post during Pride Month. 
6. TikTok supporting mental health awareness 

While talking about mental health is good, providing support is even better. That’s exactly what TikTok established with the updates announced for World Mental Health Day in 2023. This announcement came in response to the fact that there are several conversations on the platform about #MentalHealth, #SelfCare and #MentalHealthAwareness. 

TikTok announced their decision to prioritize easier access to reliable mental health information within the app. One of the measures for this included directing users searching for mental health topics to credible content from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Cleveland Clinic. 

In addition to the essential resources introduced, the platform also focuses on mental health awareness through features like customizable daily screen time limits, screen time breaks, and sleep reminders to empower users to manage their app usage and prioritize well-being.

TikTok’s approach centers around making mental health information accessible and promoting healthy app use. 

Lessons to take away from this campaign:

  • Focus on fostering a supportive community for open conversations about mental well-being.
  • Find ways to bridge the gap between your customers and mental health advocates, organizations, and resources. This is one way to show that you actually care. 
7. Spotify’s Heart & Soul 

When we talk about mental health campaigns, they do not always have to be directed toward your customers. Measures that you take to ensure the mental well-being of your employees count as well. Because customers value and trust organizations that treat their employees well. 

Spotify’s “Heart & Soul” initiative is a program dedicated to supporting the mental well-being of their employees. Through this Spotify aims to educate employees about mental health and mental illness, fostering an open and accepting environment.

Spotify regularly shares employee stories and internal mental health conversations that are part of this initiative. Through this, they normalize conversations about mental health with the core objective of breaking down stigma within the workplace.

Lessons to take away from this campaign:

  • As discussed earlier, storytelling is a powerful tool in mental health campaigns. By sharing personal stories from employees Spotify humanizes mental health issues and creates a sense of community.
  • By prioritizing the mental well-being of their employees, Spotify builds trust and loyalty among its workforce. This in turn can also help build the credibility of the brand among its customers. 

In addition to this, Spotify also has some consumer-focused mental health initiatives like the Take A Beat content hub introduced for World Mental Health Day in 2023, with curated podcasts and playlists. They also announced the “Our Minds Matter” campaign in collaboration with UNICEF, as a measure to support the “mental health of young people”. 

8. Axe’s “#IsItOkForGuys” campaign

Axe’s #IsItOkForGuys campaign aimed to break down stereotypes about what it means to be a man. It encouraged open conversations about men’s insecurities and emotional well-being. This was also a way to emphasize the brand’s focus on diversity. 

The campaign featured questions that guys silently search in digital spaces due to the fear of being judged if they discuss those questions in real life. The campaign gained an overall positive response for addressing often neglected stereotypes and encouraging open conversations.

Strong themes like the one adopted by Axe can help shape your brand image and represent what you stand for. So choose the theme for your mental health campaign wisely.

Lessons to take away from this campaign:

  • Be mindful of your target audience when choosing the message for your mental health campaigns. In this case, since Axe is a brand primarily focusing on male grooming products, the mental health campaign from them also revolved around the male audience.
  • The key to successful marketing is evaluating and understanding what your customers are looking for. This applies to mental health campaigns as well. Are there particular mental health questions they often search for answers to or mental health taboos they wish to break? Identify such topics and create relatable campaigns around them. 

Get KIMP, Bring Your Mental Health Campaigns to Life 

As evident in all these examples, when executed thoughtfully, mental health campaigns build trust and take your brand closer to your customers. Hence it is all about identifying the relevant theme and the right timing. Once this is set, you need a dependable design team to bring your ideas to life – in the form of engaging social media carousels for educational posts about mental health, or static images that invite audience participation or even videos that tell a memorable story. For all these designs and more, an unlimited design service like KIMP can make a big difference. 

Register now for a free 7-day trial!