The first commercial, and also the second one, of the “Heroes of Today” platform, produced by the APCP production company Garlic, already brought to light how much we need to continue advancing today in terms of equality and inclusion. In turn, giving voice to this need tells us that we are on our way.
Today we want to share another campaign along the same lines, focusing on the importance of mental health care.
“Better Out” is a campaign created for Shout 85258, the mental health support service in the UK.
Following research, they found that the culture of young people in the black community in the UK tended to show a reluctance to open up about their feelings or affective state. This is due to the pressure they feel in their social groups to maintain a strong and not overly emotional personality.
“Better Out” encourages young black men to take their mental health seriously, open up and share their emotions. It also encourages them to use the Shout 85258 text service to seek help if they need it, however big or small their concerns may be.
Shout’s helpline has so far been used primarily by young white women. Through the headline “Hide Your Unhappy,” the campaign explores the masking of emotions by showing faces of smiling young men.
With this message, graphics were created in collaboration with various youth groups during Create Not Hate workshops. These involved students between the ages of 14 and 22 from WAC Arts College and the Greenhouse Center charity.
These posters and flyers were distributed in places frequented by young people, including gyms, game stores, movie theaters, public transportation and other businesses. In turn, a video was created and disseminated on social media, featuring a conversation in which the viewer can read the unspoken feelings behind the screen.
At the APCP we are glad that advertising is, once again, a platform to promote people’s well-being, development and health.
