In recognition of International Suicide Prevention Day, FCB Health New York debuted a pro bono campaign aimed at providing mental health support to a group too often overlooked: doctors. The agency says it's an effort to "heal the healers."

"Disappearing Doctors" is a microsite—created in partnership with Sermo, Haymarket Media Group and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline—dedicated to providing space for the medical community to connect and seek support, "with the goal of removing stigma around the mental health issues our healers are facing," FCB Health New York says. The online community is comprised of more than 800,000 anonymous healthcare professionals across 150 countries.

In a recent survey of 4,500 global doctors by Sermo, one in three physicians said they knew a colleague who has died by suicide, and 64 percent said they would fear professional repercussions if they sought help for suicidal thoughts or burnout. The survey found that 98 percent of doctors said the issue of burnout—a state of cognitive, physical and mental exhaustion caused by sustained stress—is only getting worse, likely exasperated by the coronavirus pandemic that has overwhelmed hospitals. FCB Health New York, though, says the campaign has been in the works since before the pandemic.

“We want to amplify physicians’ voices so we can destigmatize mental health issues and work toward a solution,” says Mike Devlin, FCB Health New York executive creative director. “We’re asking the broader community to join us in this fight to heal our healers.”

Making 'Invisible Hate' visible

The Atlanta chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has partnered with independent creative agency 22Squared to create an interactive web platform to shine a light on the 785 Confederate monuments and symbols spread across the country, and expose the "historical truths and contexts" behind them.

The site, called "Invisible Hate," shows the locations of the monuments—in some cases, there is a red "X" across the site to show it has been recently removed—although the majority of them seem to still be standing. Although they are dispersed across the country, the states with the most Confederate symbols and monuments include Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The platform gives people the option to contact local representatives to call for the removal of nearby monuments.

According to 22Squared, the sites included in the map are not just statues, but also homes, parks, fountains, museums, libraries and cemeteries. Many of these, according to the agency, are not privately funded but maintained "by tax dollars, sometimes even federal tax dollars." The agency says that over the past decade, taxpayers have paid $40 million to fund Confederate monuments and symbols. "Invisible Hate" has been developed over the past three years to expose this lesser-known truth.

"America is starting to confront its own historical ignorance on a mass scale, but there’s still quite a bit of education needed,” 22Squared Creative Director Alex Lukacs says. “We believe that Invisible Hate can be the tool to capitalize on the momentum the country is feeling by giving everyone the power to do something about these symbols of hate and change today’s conversations.”

SuperHeroes changes name to SuperHerpes?

SuperHeroes—the self-proclaimed "post-advertising ad agency" located in Amsterdam, New York and Singapore—changed its name to SuperHerpes. Yes, you read that right. "Which self-respecting company on earth changes their name into an STI?" the agency asks, echoing what we're all thinking. The stunt was done for World Sexual Health Day last Friday. It's unclear how long the agency plans to go by SuperHerpes.

As humorous as it is, the stunt has shed light on a serious issue: Sexually transmitted infections checks are on the decline due to the pandemic, with recent data showing cases "skyrocketing" in Europe and the U.S. Syphilis cases alone have seen a recent 40 percent increase in America. The initiative includes a public service announcement campaign for which the agency distributed ads, condoms and an updated agency website promoting good sexual health practices.

"The name change is like dropping the mic," says Victor Farias, agency art director. "We’re on a mission to save the world from boring advertising, but if we can save it from nasty STIs at the same time, that’s a win-win."

Brief Mentions

Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a WPP-owned PR firm, named Azuree Montoute-Lewis as global head of diversity, equity and inclusion, and Bridgette O'Neal as U.S. head of DE&I. Montoute-Lewis, joining H+K from Fitch Ratings where she led the firm's first DE&I team, will report to Global Chairman-CEO AnnaMaria DeSalva, effective Sept. 15. O'Neal, who previously implemented and led IPG's Business Resource Groups, will report to Global President and CEO of Americas Richard Millar, effective immediately.

S4 Capital announced yet another merger, with Dare.Win, the agency with offices in Paris and Berlin that once conducted job interviews via Fortnite. Dare.Win will merge with S4's MediaMonks, expanding that agency's presence to France. Dare.Win was founded by Wale Gbadamosi-Oyekanmi in 2011 with a hybrid business model spanning creative, production and consulting. It employs more than 80 people.

Planet Propaganda, a Madison, Wisconsin-based independent creative shop, elevated Emily Steele to managing director. The role is a first for the agency, and Steele steps into it after serving as an account director since joining Planet Propaganda in 2015. She will be tasked with "driving the financial and cultural health of the business, leading and managing all non-creative department directors, and overseeing client relationships, services and processes," according to the agency.

Havas Milan named Luissandro Del Gobbo as chief creative officer. He will lead the agency's creative department in Italy, which is comprised of more than 80 people across offices in Milan and Rome. Del Gobbo was most recently partner group creative director for Ogilvy Chicago, and has worked in four countries in Europe and America, racking up more than 100 awards during his 20-year career.

McCann Worldgroup China named Emily Chang as CEO. Chang relocated from the U.S. to Shanghai to replace incumbent CEO Ronald Sun, who is stepping down after three years at the helm. Chang joins from her previous client-side roles as senior VP of marketing at Starbucks, chief marketing officer of Starbucks China, chief commercial officer of IHG and head of retail marketing Asia for Apple. She also spent 11 years working across P&G's three global business units.