Title	DON'T BOTTLE IT UP
Brand	CALM & TOPMAN
Product/Service	MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
Category	F03. Excellence in Media Execution
Entrant	HAVAS LUXHUB London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	BMB London, UNITED KINGDOM
Media Placement	HAVAS LUXHUB London, UNITED KINGDOM
Media Placement 2	HAVAS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Simon Hipwell	BMB	Creative Director
Matt Pam	BMB	Creative Director
Lauren Peters	BMB	Copywriter

Why is this work relevant for Media?

75% of all suicides in the UK are male and suicide is the single biggest killer of men age 20-45. Not accidents or cardiac arrests – but suicide. The stigma around men having open conversations about their mental health is a major national health issue. Preventing suicides means changing decades of behavioural norms. #DONTBOTTLEITUP – CALM x Topman is relevant because it leveraged smart, quick, targeted and added value media to reach 3 billion people which ultimately lead to double the average amount of suicides prevented by CALM’s webchat services in October 2017.

Background

For 2017’s Mental Health Awareness week (October 9-15th) CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) decided to tap into its longtime partnership with Topman to de-stigmatise the topic of male mental health. CALM is a charity organisation seeking to bring about change and getting young males to talk, openly and confidently about mental health. Mental health is a struggle plaguing many adolescent males in the UK – a nation where the is a tendency to keep a stiff upper lip and supress or bottle up emotions. Yet with 4,500 male deaths caused by suicide in 2016 – tendencies need to shift. Mental health needs to become a permissible topic of conversation. Topman is part of the fabric of young British male fashion. Democratising high fashion trends with affordable styles for young men, the brand stands for being a bold leader.

Describe the creative idea/insights

Men don’t cry. Men are in control, they are meant to be strong. They don’t indulge in mental health discussions – they bottle their feelings. These are the stereotypes our campaign would have to tackle whilst remaining true to Topman’s fashion roots. Topman, inspired by its own role at the forefront of young male image, knew the endeavour would have to be daring in media as well as concept. The challenge lied in garnering scale and reach for a serious message and without readily available above the line media budget. With UK males preferring to bottle up their feelings rather than discuss them openly – our campaign would flip the notion on it’s head across formats where young males are having open honest conversations, from social platforms to ‘hang out’ hubs, on radios, in taxis and on shareable news platforms.

Describe the strategy

The communications strategy was built around that of a fashion ‘drop’ where suspense, exclusivity and key media locations work together to crash news and social feeds, igniting a ripple effect of buzz and intrigue. This approach required strong content, a gossip-worthy protagonist and a lot of free press. Thankfully, CALM and Topman roped in reality star Chris Hughes, a media darling who epitomises young male confidence yet is also notorious for showing his softer side after crying on the UK favourite: 2017’s Love Island series. Together with Chris, we dropped a controversial new product: L’Eau de Chris - a mineral water infused with Chris’ own tears. The release triggered interest, social chatter – and plenty of ridicule, offering a unique opportunity to then change the narrative to CALM’s message with #DONTBOTTLEITUP to an already engaged and attentive audience.

Describe the execution

On October 9th L’Eau de Chris was unleashed with a racy video by BMB and renowned photographer Rankin featuring a buff Chris sporting Topman briefs and drops of tear-infused water. The video was debuted via social then blitzed across added value outdoor in trendy hang-out locations, and supported with commuter gossip pages on the Metro and Shortlist, as well as digital display on their online and mobile platforms. The creative was controversial and risqué - leading to immediate traction and commenting. The next day, on October 10th - World Mental Health Day, stationed at Topman’s London headquarters, Chris Hughes opened up via a facebook livestream: L’Eau de Chris was Ludicrous! Men Should never bottle up their feelings. A second wave of outdoor was then immediately released as well as, digital, wrapped taxis and print - all with our hashtag #DONTBOTTLEITUP.

List the results

- We reached 3 billion people - Gained 120 million social impressions within 48 hours - Sold 10,000 charitable packs of Chris’ briefs within 2 weeks - Raised £20,000 for CALM via Topman’s Pants Pledge - Brought in a further £25,000 for CALM’s dedicated helpline - CALM website visits shot up by 95% - majority stemming from 18-24 year olds (18x more) - Topped with a massive 450% increase in CALM sign-ups Most importantly, however, during the month of the campaign, suicides prevented on CALM’s webchat were double the average compared to the previous year and the highest they have ever been. By looping in media owners before releasing the controversial content we garnered free Outdoor, digital display and print media. Swift creative switching was essential to creating shock and setting the story straight – ensuring that the final take away was to speak openly about mental health issues.