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lofi3.jpg
lofi3.jpg

VICE - Suicide prevention campaign

Challenge: A difficult and complex issue that many students are facing is how to manage their mental health, with 1 in 5 students reporting having had suicidal thoughts. But most are not getting the help they need. With youth suicide at an all time high and rising, we wanted to deliver a relatable intervention message, in a context that could connect vulnerable students directly with the mental health and suicide support they needed.

Method

Unusually, the 'method' started with personal escapism and a search for purpose. Myself and two pals (talented creatives, Robin & Ella) were working in commercial advertising at the time, and wanted a break from selling stuff to people who didn't need it. So, in the spare time we had between projects we would meet and discuss ideas. And we birthed this personal passion project, tackling youth suicide. We (1) developed a concept (2) persuaded the Samaritan's to get involved (3) pitched it to delivery partners (4) persuaded our agency employer to invest, and (5) launched it, with a lot of love.

Key Insight

Traditional suicide prevention messages (like TV ads) struggle to reach students because they aren't seen as relatable and aren't delivered in a 'receptive moment'. So, we observed youth culture to understand how we might better reach them.

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We noticed the rise of an online music genre and subculture called 'Lofi', mostly on YouTube. Drawn in by the smooth beats and a relaxing background aesthetic, it birthed a 24/7 community where students come to study in the company of an animated girl, studying on loop. But, the Lofi Live Chat exposes the intense pressures students are under, with many talking about feeling stressed, depressed and even suicidal. This was a channel and context where students would be more receptive to and need a suicide prevention message.

Strategy

Hijack a medium where students flock, at acute times of stress - a Lofi music channel - to deliver a relatable suicide prevention message and connect them to immediate support.

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Execution

We pitched our strategy and early creative concepts to the Samaritans so that we could get their early input, which was critical to making sure we would 'help not harm' students (i.e. increase the likelihood of help-seeking and not the likelihood of suicidal ideation). And to College Music, a popular Lofi YouTube music channel who were thrilled to partner with us. Once we had 'Samaritans-approved' storyboards we pitched our project to Vice Media, highlighting the alignment of our goal with what they were trying to achieve with their new editorial channel 'Tonic'; which had a wealth of mental health content and resources to support young people. We had managed to get all the right delivery partners on board to make and launch a campaign that was a huge success.

Impact

In the first month, the video went viral achieving 2 million views! This started with 1,816 viewers watching intervention live and 19% clicking through to helplines; so the 1 in 5 students who needed help were getting it. This snowballed as the community shared the message and took action. Within only a couple of months, 9,937 young people, all around the world, proactively clicked through to the helplines. Vice UK received a surge in engagement with its mental health content; with 142,749 click throughs. Over 4x greater than an avg piece. But even more powerful than the numbers, were the 18k comments, expressing a deep appreciation for the message. 

Awards

Press

  • D&AD – Yellow & Wood

  • D&AD Impact – Wood

  • Cannes Lions - Bronze x 2

  • Creative Circle – Gold x 2, Silver

  • Clio Awards - Bronze

  • One Show – Bronze, Merit x 2

  • Eurobest – Silver x 2

  • Epica Awards – Gold

  • British Arrows – Gold

  • LIA Awards – Gold, Silver & Bronze

  • Lovie Awards – Silver, People’s Vote & Lovie for Good

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