Brains have a mind of their own. That’s the both the name of J.Walter Thompson’s Snapchat campaign for Youthbeyondblue and what it feels like for a teenager with depression.
The agency’s first campaign for Youthbeyondblue was triggered by MediaCom Melbourne’s media strategy that identified where to get the attention of 13-18 year olds: YouTube, mobile display and video pre-rolls, XBOX, Facebook, search and Snapchat Discover via news.com.au’s channel. Snapchat was recommended – two million young Australians use it daily.
J. Walter Thompson worked on the creative development and all production elements.
J. Walter Thompson creative director, Tim Holmes, explained the creative thinking, “We know from beyondblue’s research that the stigma associated with depression and anxiety is a huge barrier against young people seeking support. Our creative aims to show young people that it’s not them, but their brains that can be strange – it’s their brain that may cause them to think weird things, or act irrationally. It’s a simple message, working to remove the stigma from depression and anxiety and empower teenagers to identify their own symptoms and take action. We hope the campaign, which stars a pesky animated brain, will go a long way to address this issue.”
The animations show a world where teenagers are constantly harassed, annoyed, distracted and provoked by their own brains. It’s a world that young people know well.
In each element of the campaign, the brain is intent on getting its own way, but the help and support offered at Youthbeyondblue shines through.
Beyondblue chief executive officer, Georgie Harman, observed, “Too many young people hesitate to speak up when they are struggling, often because they are worried how others will perceive them. This campaign aims to show teenagers that experiencing depression or anxiety doesn’t mean they are weak or weird, it simply means that their mind is giving them a hard time, but there’s something they can do about it.”
Two major additions to Youthbeyondblue’s website support the campaign:
1. The new Brain Quiz and
2. The relaunched Youthbeyondblue Forum to encourage a supportive and healthy online community.
More videos will be released in the coming weeks to address other symptoms particularly relevant to young people – like not enjoying the things they normally would, always feeling on edge, and not getting help because they are worried about what others will think.
The campaign will run until July 31.
Early results have been extremely positive. In its first week there were approximately 340,000 views of the first two animated videos. And Youthbeyondblue.com visits were up 206% on the same period last year.
