Malaysia – Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R Singapore has announced they have won the tender for insurance company FWD Takaful’s new mental health awareness campaign in Malaysia.

FWD’s unconventional pitch aims to produce a campaign that targets overcoming Malaysian cultural taboos around talking about mental health. It further aims to normalise and destigmatize this issue across the country by highlighting the benefits of having conversations about negative feelings.

VMLY&R’s upcoming campaign, in partnership with content experience agency Hogarth Malaysia, will tap into Malaysia’s love of music to raise awareness and generate conversations around mental health. It will run for three months, starting in January 2024, and is outlined to include film, video, digital, EDM, out-of-home (OOH), event activation, and radio promotion.

The campaign pitch comes after the company’s mental health survey in 2022 revealed that 62% of Malaysians have experienced mental health challenges and severe social disapproval or know someone who has.

Further solidifying the company’s commitment to their upcoming campaign, FWD Takaful took the topic of mental health to heart through the pitch process itself, which focused on reducing anxiety and stress for participating agencies.

The insurance company created a process that minimises the stressors for teams involved in competitive pitching, including unrealistic client briefs, timelines, expectations, and budgets.

For this to happen, FWD Takaful worked closely with the pitching agencies on an open creative brief, which could be delivered on a flexible timeline, while simultaneously giving them access to FWD’s Mind Strength services.

Raymond Chin, chief creative officer for Asia at VMLY&R, said, “Social change starts with a conversation, and talking about your problems can offer serious relief, so the new campaign aims to highlight this point and encourage open conversation in Malaysia as an antidote to the current stigma.”

He added, “It was refreshing to work on a pitch where the client understood the issues faced by agency teams and was willing to create a pitch brief that made the agencies’ mental health a priority. Everyone benefitted from the way FWD Takaful ran this pitch—the client got better ideas out of it, and the agency team was able to dedicate time and resources while making sure their mental health was taken care of.”

Australia – As part of the observance of the National Day of Action this September 8, the Australian non-profit suicide prevention organisation R U OK? has launched a new campaign to remind everyone that every day passing is a day for someone to check up on their loved ones, family, and friends regarding their mental state.

The ad, conceptualised by Ogilvy Australia, encourages Australians to do what it all takes to have these meaningful conversations and need to be having them with the people they care about every day – in the car, at the beach or around the BBQ. 

The organisation also encourages viewers that the ‘R U OK?’ idea is one that speaks to every Australian, giving them the confidence to ask the simple, but potentially life-changing question, ‘are you OK?’.

Katherine Newton, CEO of R U OK?, said “I think it’s a message everyone can relate to because we all think we’re experts in a range of things so why be reluctant when this is something we can actually do. By having regular, meaningful conversations, we can help the people we care about feel supported before they are in crisis and, if that conversation does get too big for us, we can guide them to seek professional help.”

Meanwhile, Toby Talbot, chief creative officer at Ogilvy AUNZ, commented, “I can’t think of a more important subject than mental health in Australia right now. And to have such an iconic Australian director as Justin Kurzel help us bring the idea to life has been huge for all of us. A special shout out to all our production partners who showed us how much they care with their time and effort.”

Mumbai, India – For the commemoration of the World Mental Health Day last 10 October, Indian bank IDFC First Bank, which is part of the larger financial group Infrastructure Development Finance Company, has launched its latest social media campaign dedicated to promoting mental health – none other than by the use of financial terms.

Conceptualized by digital agency RepIndia, the campaign utilizes said language to present a new meaning from a mental health perspective. For instance, the term ‘investment’ is defined in the campaign as “therapy to ensure that you’re not subject to any mental health risk,” and ‘loan’ being defined as “lending an ear with interest”.

“By thus connecting commonly used financial terms with mental health issues and solutions, IDFC FIRST Bank hopes to be able to remove the stigma and taboo surrounding mental health conversations and drive significant conversations,” the bank said in a press statement.

In a statement given to MARKETECH APAC, RepIndia stated that the campaign aimed to talk about mental health from a way of investing in oneself with the goal of normalizing the conversation just like financial security is already commonly practiced in our society.

“The goal was to redefine the way we look at mental health from the perspective of financial terms that are more commonly present in our vocabulary,” the agency stated.

Said sentiment of normalizing talks on mental health stems from the fact that the aspect of mental health advocacy remains stigmatized and in a ‘crisis. 

“While financial reports have suggested that 70% of Indians now place greater emphasis on securing the future by increasing investments and savings, the mental health pandemic the nation is battling with continues to remain a crisis,” the agency stated.

The World Mental Health Day was first started as an initiative back in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization, which aimed at promoting mental health advocacy, as well as educating the public. For this year, the observance of said date revolved around the theme ‘Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality’.

Singapore – TikTok Singapore has recently launched a week-long #MentalHealthAwarenesscampaign, where it has been rolling out a series of global live streams as part of ongoing efforts to invest in its community’s mental well-being. The campaign runs until 16 September. 

On Monday, 13 September, local non-profit organization in Singapore, Mental ACT, went live to discuss ways in which people can take charge and ownership of their mental health. 

The upcoming fresh live stream will be Wednesday, 15 September, beginning at 8 pm SGT, featuring TikTok’s Head of Regional Policy, Trust & Safety for APAC, Jamin Tan. Tan will be joined by Seah Yang Hee, Deputy CEO and group director for service planning & funding in the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), as well as by non-profit partner Limitless, and TikTok wellness creators Yanni Ruth and Nur Hidayah Azman

The group will be sharing how improving mental health starts with a conversation, discussing their lived experiences, and how we can, collectively, help make sure that quality mental health care is available to everyone who needs it.

“People need more than static pages for help; they need avenues to feel heard, and platforms that are safe for their self-expression,” shared Tan. 

“We are inspired by how our community in Singapore has truly opened up a conversation about mental health, sharing and uniting others through their own inspiring stories. That is why we are pleased to be working with industry experts and mental health advocates in our efforts to raise #MentalHealthAwareness. We care deeply about our community, and will always look for new ways in which we can help to nurture their well-being,” Tan added. 

Through the campaign, TikTok invites Singaporeans to engage openly and bravely with important mental well-being issues. Aside from partnering with local non-profit organizations and independent experts, TikTok has also enlisted the presence of its ‘Youth For Good’ creators, an initiative launched by the platform that seeks to empower youths to raise awareness on mental and cyber wellness. 

Users can tune in live at @tiktoksg to join the conversations. 

TikTok first introduced #MentalHealthAwareness globally last May to mark this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week.