Mental Health Awareness Month 2024—how McDonald’s, MTV and more are promoting the cause

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and, as in past years, brands and nonprofits are speaking up about the ongoing global mental health crisis, especially among young people. A lot of people aren’t OK, from healthcare workers to children to young adults and more. This year, many brands are pushing not only to normalize conversations about mental health but also for more funding for professional mental health care, including therapy. The efforts come as one in two people worldwide are now expected to develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime, according to a large-scale 2023 study led by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of Queensland. Read on to learn what brands are doing this month. Also read: Top 5 creative campaigns from the past week Get upfront updates sent directly to your inbox here Channel 4 Many health workers struggle with their mental health due to experiences on the job. To raise awareness, Britain’s Channel 4 teamed up with Frontline19 to allow frontline workers to share their mental health struggles and encourage viewers to be considerate of people in the health field. The teams invited NHS frontline staff to read the continuity announcements around well-known programming including “24 Hours in A&E” and “999: On the Frontline.” Additionally, a two-minute CCTV-style film by adam&eveDDB, titled “Sicker Than the Patients,” shows how healthcare workers sometimes break down away from patients, only to return and pretend they’re OK. The film encourages people to donate to Frontline19 to get these workers the mental health services they need. Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios has partnered up with 2,300 brands, nonprofits and cultural leaders to launch its fourth annual Mental Health Action Day (MHAD) on May 16. This year’s call to action is to dedicate one hour to social connection. This year, Showtime/MTV launched the new “stop, drop and roll” tagline for emotional support: A.S.K., which stands for acknowledge, support and keep-in-touch. The Paramount entity conducted training with young people across the country, and the tagline has appeared at the White House, the Super Bowl, NCAA Championships and VidCon 2024. Showtime/MTV also announced that, as part of its partnership with leading youth mental health nonprofit Active Minds, it will launch a YouTube interactive video designed to teach young people the A.S.K. call to action. Internationally, a creative campaign that highlights A.S.K. and locally relevant mental health resources will roll out across Paramount’s linear, social and digital platforms. Also read: How brands celebrated Mother's Day 2024 McDonald’s U.K. McDonald’s U.K. removed the iconic smile from its Happy Meal boxes in a mental health effort created by Ready10 and Leo Burnett U.K. “The Meal,” launched May 14 in partnership with BBC Children in Need, was prompted by a study that found more than half of children in the U.K. feel pressure to be happy, even when they’re not. Limited-edition emotion stickers will be distributed at select locations so children can express their feelings by placing stickers on the boxes. Maybelline New York Maybelline New York has struck a long-term global partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) Foundation to enable access to mental health services for 2 million people. Maybelline pledged $1.8 million to the WHO, with goal of funding access to one-on-one support. Additionally, the brand launched a mini docuseries, “Healthier Together,” produced by the BBC in partnership with the WHO Foundation to shed light on organizations making an impact on global mental health in the U.S. The series also features the brand’s work with non-governmental organizations such as the Jed Foundation and its Brave Together program, which aims to break the stigma around anxiety and depression. Beavertown x CALM British brewery Beavertown, known for its craft beers, partnered with the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to launch a limited-edition packet of crisps (chips) with conversation starters about mental health on the packaging. Cheddar and jalapeño flavor packets encourage people to “open up” with questions such as “What gets you through tough times?” and “If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?” The questions are meant to encourage deeper conversations among friends over a snack. The packaging is also environmentally friendly. The new “Open Up” crisps will be available at more than 260 pubs across the U.K., including in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. Seize the Awkward The Ad Council, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the JED Foundation released a new digital content series for the national “Seize the Awkward” campaign starring actress, activist and creator Nia Sioux. The “Capture the Convo” series features intimate conversations between friends, encouraging teens and young adults to normalize talking about mental health with their peers. It marks the former “Dance Moms” star and executive producer’s debut as creative director. Other young adult creators and celebrities Kenzie Ziegler, Gayle, Brooklinn Khoury, Zach Hood and Paul Russell will star in the series alongside Sioux, opening up about their own mental health journeys and the importance of checking in with friends. The first video launched April 25, and the series continues throughout May. Calm Calm has launched its first standalone mental health screening, available for free on screening.calm.com. Taking only one to two minutes to complete, the screening aims to make mental health resources and knowledge more accessible, as well as help individuals take ownership of their mental health by utilizing an industry-standard questionnaire often found in doctor’s offices. Based on the individual’s responses, Calm will recommend a range of next steps, including Calm itself for those who may have minimal levels of anxiety or depression. It can also recommend they find licensed psychologists where necessary and direct them to free external resources from organizations including SAMHSA, ADAA and NAMI to find appropriate support. As of 2023, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended all adults aged 19-64 should be regularly screened for anxiety. Natural Vitality Grammy-award-winning artist Lil Jon has teamed up with magnesium-based supplement brand Natural Vitality to spark conversations about mental health awareness, stigma and perception in culture. Ahead of the release of his second album, “Manifest Abundance,” on May 10, Natural Vitality and Lil Jon held an album retreat at the tranquil Hotel Bel-Air. Guests experienced mindfulness programming such as a guided meditation led by Lil Jon, an album showcase and a fireside discussion between Lil Jon and mental health expert Dr. Patrice Le Goy, LMFT, an adjunct professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. View this post on Instagram A post shared by LIL JON (@liljon) View this post on Instagram A post shared by LIL JON (@liljon) The campaign comes as the album expands Lil Jon’s passion for mental health awareness, featuring 11 tracks centered around manifestation and affirmations. CorePower Yoga CorePower Yoga launched a campaign underscoring the importance of and providing education on the mental health benefits of yoga with a mental health hub featuring scientific research on the connection between hot yoga and reduced depression. The brand is offering free access to a curated collection of yoga and meditation classes on its digital Yoga On Demand platform. Campaign ambassadors include Allison Holker, a professional dancer, choreographer and “So You Think You Can Dance” judge, and NFL Defensive Lineman Arik Armstead. In videos featured on the hub, Holker and Armstead discuss how each found empowerment through yoga as they faced personal hardships that have affected their mental health, including the loss of a spouse and suffering a serious physical injury, respectively. Lifeline International Nonprofit organization Lifeline International is calling for the decriminalization of suicide worldwide with a brand platform launched by Thinkerbell. The campaign features OOH and digital ads that explain how the criminalization of suicide attempts is an ineffective deterrent to preventing suicide. The campaign comes as 25 countries around the world still view suicide attempts as a crime, affecting a total population of 1.2 billion people in those jurisdictions. “Decriminalize Suicide Worldwide” was launched at the Australia House in London by former prime minister and lawyer Julia Gillard, who called on governments to unite in supporting decriminalization. Rescue Agency Rescue Agency has launched several health behavior change campaigns aimed at tackling issues such as teen vaping as a way to manage stress and anxiety, abuse of cannabis and obstacles that stop people from seeking support. In a series of ads, Rescue Agency shows that vaping and getting high can actually worsen stress and anxiety and teens. Meanwhile, Rescue’s media campaign “I Am More” is designed to help audiences overcome the obstacles preventing them from seeking support for mental health challenges by showing them change is possible with a roadmap for strengthening their mental health. Project Pit Project Pit and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health are hosting the second annual I Love Myself Festival on May 19, a free mental health awareness celebration for healing, community, freedom of expression, support and resource sharing. This year’s festival includes performances by R&B singer-songwriters Mario and Omarion. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Project Pit (@projectpit) Project Pit also said it will also honor singer-songwriter Jhene Aiko, entrepreneur and TV personality Angela White (aka Blac Chyna), comedian and actress Pretty Vee, fitness influencer Kayla Nicole, pastor and podcast host Stephanie Ike Okafor, Grammy-winning mixing engineer Derek Ali, L.A. County supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, founder and CEO of SBRBN Media Scottie, wellness entrepreneur Ali Hasan, Blavity and The Drew League for inspiring and invoking change in the mental health space. The event will be open to the public with a full day of programming. Cactus Agency Cactus, which is behind the decades-long mental health campaign Man Therapy, launched the third season of “Frame of Mind,” a video series of conversations around mental health. Last year, the agency featured ad industry leaders from Mischief @ No Fixed Address, Marcus Thomas and the 4A’s. This year, the films will focus on conversations with brand leaders, with the first episode featuring Varshil Patel from Therapy Notebooks. Future episodes will feature an Indianapolis Colts representative discussing a mental health program the team uses internally. Child Mind Institute The Child Mind Institute launched a new mental health fitness campaign featuring athletes including Olympic and Paralympic champions and contenders, as well as professional league players and athletes from the Special Olympics. Videos posted throughout the month aim to show kids what the greatest athletes do to prioritize mental health to be mentally fit, and encourage them to do the same. The campaign kicked off at the start of the month with NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns (above). Other videos will include stars such as soccer legend Brandi Chastain (World Cup and Olympic champion), Paralympic rugby player Sarah Adam (the first woman on the U.S. Paralympic wheelchair rugby team), NFL wide receiver Juwan Johnson and more. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

Mental Health Awareness Month 2024—how McDonald’s, MTV and more are promoting the cause

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