This year, Mental Health Awareness Month coincides with one of the most difficult months for mental health. It’s the third month of Covid-19 social restrictions and in America is accompanied by soaring job losses and coronavirus deaths.
“For many young people struggling with mental health issues, the fears and challenges resulting from COVID-19 have amplified what they’re going through,” noted Heidi Arthur, chief campaign development officer at the Ad Council.
Droga5 has created a new Seize the Awkward PSA with production and post-production studio, Nice Shoes, for the Ad Council, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and The Jed Foundation (JED), to remind people to check in with young people at risk and support those who need it.
“The new creative, brimming with energy and positivity, will provide our audience with support and give them access to tips and resources during this particularly difficult time,” Arthur added.
The work, Whatever Gets You Talking, created pro bono by Droga5 and directed by Kristian Mercado Figueroa, emphasises that just because we’re physically distant doesn’t mean teens and young adults should remain socially distant, and it’s created in the TikTok meets rap music video style that resonates with the younger audiences it targets. Its conversation starters are brought to life through animation, found footage and mixed media created by a global crew of animators and artists. Big-name music and digital stars, Addison Rae, Avery Cyrus, Bryce Xavier, James Henry, The McFarlands, Meghan Trainor, Molly Burke, mxmtoon and brothers, Zach Valentine and Pat Ramirez, have also lent their talents and make cameo appearances.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults and for every youth suicide in the US it is estimated that 100-200 others attempt suicide.[1] Recent Ad Council COVID-19 research shows that, compared to older adults, young people report feeling more negative emotions such as isolation and depression related to COVID-19.[2] The new PSA, Whatever Gets You Talking, illustrates the variety of ways young people can start and continue conversations about mental health with their friends, whether that be through a GIF, emoji, call or text.
The music video heads up a full campaign that leads audiences to seizetheawkward.org. It is complemented by digital, social, radio and broadcast assets directing to seizetheawkward.org/coronavirus, a landing page offering young people creative ways to reach out and stay connected with their friends, as well as tips and guidance on managing their own emotional wellbeing. To make it easy for young people to act and reach out, 36 artists across the world have created over 70 specially crafted conversation starters – GIFs and stickers on GIPHY – that anyone can easily send to a friend they’re worried about. The original song, Whatever Gets You Talking, performed by Akinyemi will also be available across music streaming platforms.
The PSA made its broadcast premiere during the Graduate Together: America Honors the Class of 2020 prime time television special on May 16, and the campaign is supported by donated media from Google, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Tumblr with other partners and platforms later in the year. Snap Inc has also donated two national Snapchat filters spotlighting the campaign, with the second running May 15. Media agency, Initiative, is providing pro bono support by securing high-profile targeted media with Billboard, Complex, Gallery Media Group, IGN, MIQ, Pandora (Soundcloud), Spotify, Tastemade and Uproxx.
“We know that loneliness and isolation are significant risk factors for mental health challenges and/or suicidal behaviour and that social connectedness is extremely protective for young people who may be struggling with mental health issues,” stated JED’s chief programs & operations officer, Katie Cunningham. “This campaign is incredibly empowering to young people by providing them with a framework for interacting with one another that aligns with their interests and also empowers them to be creative in engaging in healthy ways.”
Director Kristian Mercado Figueroa, commented, “I’m inspired by the culture and zeitgeist in large. I feel popular culture and the lexicon we all share and experience currently is fair game visually. The biggest thing is we wanted to capture what keeps people together, which is really the internet and being online, regardless of platform, so the visual language pulls heavily from things you’d experience online. It’s also fun, and wild and all over the place, and I’m attracted to things that shift constantly and surprise.
We want the audience to be amused, surprised, or feel something, and the work we do reflects that ethos. It was a collaborative effort and all the different styles contributed to the free-form style, jumping in unexpected ways. So mixing between animation styles, CGI, hand drawn, cel, mograph and just rocking a cool range.”
Thomas Sponzo, executive producer, development at Nice Shoes, added, “We loved working on this campaign. Talking about mental health is an important issue that became even more prominent in the world’s day-to-day lives as the project went on. It’s always a pleasure for us to work with Droga5 and Kristian. They were able to inject a life and humour into the subject matter that meant we could have so much fun with the animation. Luckily, when it came to having to pivot the campaign to a remote project, we were well prepared as we have been working remotely between our offices since 2011.”
[1] CDC; ACHA NCHA
[2] Ad Council: Coping with COVID-19, What Americans Need, Feel and Fear About the Coronavirus Pandemic. 2020. Available at: http://covidresearch.adcouncilkit.org/findings_week2/