Challenge
The charity Rethink Mental Illness provides quality practical support for people with severe mental illness and their carers. And yet only 1% of the population were aware of the charity.
Insight
- Diagnosing and treating mental illness isn’t easy. Often there isn’t one quick fix and in many cases help needs to cover medical, social, financial and legal issues
- But we knew that people with mental illness really valued the honesty and depth of the support provided by the charity.
- As a charity supporter said: ‘They tell you straight what might be going on – and what your options are. It’s really refreshing, practical and honest’
Solution
- A high impact online and offline campaign featured an arresting image of a real human brain with a plaster on it – with the straplines ‘if only’ and ‘no quick fixes’.
- The ads were seen by the public as highly memorable and ‘up front’ showing that a wide variety of practical support was needed by, and provided for, people with severe mental illness.
Impact
- Increased prompted awareness of the charity
- Huge increase in calls to the charity’s information line