HEADSPACE
We’ve got your back
Mental health is the single biggest health issue facing young people, yet only 1 in 4 receive professional help. While there are many factors driving this, Headspace chose to focus on two key barriers:
• Overcoming the internal stigma of seeking support, particularly among males aged 15–21.
• Extremely low brand awareness. Despite being a youth-focused organisation, awareness of Headspace was as low as 2% among young people aged 15–25.
This campaign positions mental health challenges as characters you can take on, so seeking help becomes an act of strength. The graphic style was inspired by comic books, boxing posters and video games, which resonated well with Headspace’s National Youth Reference Group.
The concept enabled us to highlight any mental health issue, from anxiety to cyber bullying. The campaign also extended to TV and cinema, with simple animations created from just four illustrations in each execution.
10,000 posters were distributed across Australia. They were used as street posters, and given out at schools, universities, music festivals and Headspace centres.
415,000 postcards were distributed nationwide.
Campaign impact
• 75% increase in traffic to the Headspace website
• 69% increase in traffic to Headspace’s online and phone counselling services
• 90% increase in social media engagement
• Award for Excellence at the International Association of Business Communications Gold Quill Awards
• The campaign became a successful case study cited in academic papers and presented at social marketing conferences including the World Social Marketing Conference and the AASM International Social Marketing Conference.
