Chief Creative Officer, McCann UK, and Co-President
Rob Doubal
McCann London
Chief Creative Officer, McCann UK, and Co-President
Sanjiv Mistry
McCann London
Executive Creative Director
Jamie Mietz
McCann London
Executive Creative Director
Robin Gordon
McCann London
Copywriter
Ella Monti
McCann London
Art Director
Ella Monti
McCann London
Art Director
Matthew Thomas
McCann London
Designer
Elisa Chami-Castaldi
McCann London
Senior Planner
Paul Gillespie
McCann London
Senior Project Manager
Katya Escala
McCann London
Director of Communications
Elizabeth Bernstein
McCann London
Head of New Business
Phoebe Cunningham
McCann London
New Business Executive
Robert Stockton
McCann London
Senior Account Manager
Leyla Tezcan
McCann London
Account Director
Gloria Gemignani
Freelance
Illustrator & Animator
Alastair Graham
Freelance
Editor
Giselle Hall
Craft/McCann
Sound Engineer
Willl Frances
Craft/McCann
Sound Engineer
Background
Vice UK’s health and wellness media vertical ‘Tonic’ was merging with the larger VICE brand. To coincide with the launch, Vice wanted to find a way to help students – a key audience – amidst the growing mental health crisis in the student community.
A difficult and complex issue that many students are facing is how to manage their mental health, with 1 in 5 students reporting having had suicidal thoughts.
The brief was to deliver a relatable intervention message, in a context that could connect vulnerable students directly with mental health support.
The objective was to get vulnerable students to proactively reach out for support; by connecting with suicide prevention helplines in their local country/language and to access relevant and helpful VICE Tonic content.
Another key objective was to make sure that the message would help not unintentionally harm, and so involved the Samaritans in the creative development.
Describe the strategy
Vice identified the rise of an online music genre and subculture; Lofi hip hop beats channels on YouTube. Drawn in by the smooth beats and a relaxing background aesthetic it creates a 24/7 community where students come to study in the company of an animated girl, studying on loop.
But concerningly, the Live Chat exposes the intense pressures students are under, with many talking about feeling stressed, depressed and alone. With student suicide alarmingly on the rise, and 1 in 5 students reporting having experienced suicidal thoughts, VICE was determined to intervene. Particularly at a time when pressure is at its highest; exam season.
The solution was simple. We used College Music’s Study Girl character to deliver a powerful and relatable suicide prevention message, directly connecting vulnerable students to the help they needed, in the country they’re from, at a time they needed it most.
Describe the execution
We launched on College Music’s live YouTube channel. The continuous animated loop of Study Girl was interrupted, with a bold and relatable sequence – designed to grab attention, get students talking, and connect with immediate help if they relate.
A suicide prevention expert was on hand in the live chat. Together with the support of chatbots, we were connected everyone that needed it, to suicide helplines, whatever their country of origin. Students also accessed relevant and relatable Vice UK mental health content.
A lot was achieved in the first 24 hours following the live stunt, however, to maximise reach, the live film was turned into a short video and pinned to College Music’s channel. Vice UK social media channels directed people to the video. And for several days, Study Girl was missing from her bedroom in College Music’s live stream, prompting more to discover why and see the launch film.
List the results
In the first month, the video went viral achieving 2 million views! On day one 1,816 viewers watched the 2-minute intervention live and 19% clicked onto the helplines; so the 1 in 5 students who needed help were getting it. But it quickly snowballed, as people embraced the message and shared it. Within two months, 9,937 young people, all around the world, proactively clicked onto the helplines to get support.
More powerful than the numbers were the 18k comments, expressing a deep appreciation for the intervention. “I also have suicidal thoughts. I could barely keep watching because tears filled my eyes. I’ve been really desperate lately. So, this video helped me a lot. Thank you” Kitty Dog Fan
Vice UK received a surge in engagement with its mental health content; 142,749 young people clicked through to their mental health resources. Over 4x greater than an avg piece on the site.