Ogilvy and Samaritans HK highlight mental health importance with creative campaign

Ogilvy and mental health-focused charity Samaritans Hong Kong have teamed up to launch a creative campaign one month after the World Mental Health Day, to raise public awareness towards the importance of mental health.

This campaign was inspired by the lack of awareness towards mental health in Hong Kong, as a survey by Ogilvy saw majority of HongKongers had no idea that was the case. To demonstrate this fact, the Samaritans ran a campaign in newspapers, digital and social media on the 10 November wishing everyone “Happy World Mental Health Day” exactly one month after the original World Mental Health Day. It aimed to highlight that the human race needs to start taking mental health more seriously. 

The campaign ran on one day to emphasise that Mental Health Day in October received nowhere like the attention it should be getting. In terms of marketing strategies, the campaign used humour, surprise and a tiny bit of guilt to help people realise that they need to prioritise mental health, and not just pay attention to it when it may be too late, according to John Davenport, chief creative officer of Ogilvy Hong Kong.

By targeting HongKongers, the campaign aimed to reach different groups with different mental health issues, "Men for instance are three times likelier to kill themselves, while women and young people are more likely to suffer from depression," said Davenport. The campaign was promoted via mixed newspapers and websites aimed at the general public.

“Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it’s too easy to forget that. We at the Samaritans are committed to supporting individual mental health journeys and those who struggle with mental health issues that can, in extreme cases, lead to suicide. Because together we really can make things better, for everyone.” Brenda Scofield. Chairwoman of Samaritans Hong Kong.

“As an agency we are acutely aware of the real and constant danger that mental health issues represent to us a society and also to us as a group of people who work together. Like any group of people, our agency has been touched by issues around mental health, and we are keen that these issues be prioritised and talked about rather than being swept under the carpet," said John Davenport.

Back in October 2022, The ASICS FrontRunner running community launched a "before and after" transformation campaign to challenge society’s focus on working out for beauty transformations. Done in conjunction with World Mental Health Day, the campaign highlighted why the most important transformation to consider isn’t physical. This was in response to society's obsession with the perfect body can be damaging to mental health.

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