Nearly 80% of suicides in the UK are men, yet males make up less than half of NHS therapy referrals. 1 in 8 men also admit to suffering from some form of mental health.

THE CHALLENGE

Mind’s Christmas campaign is one of their largest for both income and volume of new donors. In 2022, they asked us to create a social acquisition campaign that focused on tackling the stigma of men’s mental health in the UK. Our campaign needed to drive cash donations while simultaneously creating awareness of Mind's vital work in providing life- changing services for the people who need them the most.

THE SOLUTION

Christmas is a crowded time for all brands trying to reach audiences and with the addition of a winter World Cup in 2022, it became even more important that we cut through the noise while still staying relevant to conversations and situations happening in daily life. To bring in as many donations as possible, we needed a creative idea that tapped into people’s emotions, showed the severity of the situation, and positioned Mind
as the first point for care.

Working with brand ambassadors such as Bradley Wiggins, Clarke Carlisle, and Ben West, as well as current Mind staff, we created a two-part campaign that ran on social media and direct mail throughout December. We crafted our copy so a donations message was clear throughout and our final images weren't graphic or despairing, but instead relayed the message and story we wanted to tell.

The first wave targeted people during key World Cup moments and used the link between the emotions we feel watching the emotions of football and the emotions people experience when struggling with mental health issues. The second wave ran over Christmas and was centred around the ‘Silent Nights’ carol. An instrumental version of the song created a distressing but hard-hitting video. The creative showed just how damaging it can be for people to keep their feelings and how opening up is critical to getting support. This was combined with static posts that showed men disappearing into the background as their struggles worsened.

THE IMPACT

The campaign kicked off with an outstanding start, raising over £50,000 in the first week alone – more than double the amount from the previous year. This early success set a positive tone and fuelled momentum throughout the rest of the campaign. Over the following five weeks, our work brought in over £360,000 in donations. In addition, our average donation total was just under £60 – almost three times as much as the Mind average.

A key driver for the campaign's success was its extensive reach. With over 9,400,000 impressions and a 19% conversion rate, the campaign effectively reached our target audience’s online spaces to increase the likelihood of conversion and donation.