One of the best behavioural-change mechanics we have available to us is ‘reality TV’. This is a grand statement and it’s based more on my observation – like the fact that parents in suburban Australia are ‘plating up’ their Sunday night turducken (with a chia and soybean dessert) while watching MasterChef – more than any serious analysis. That said dancing, singing, home renovation, surf life saving have all seemingly received the benefits of the reality-TV effect.
One increasing area of exploration is the relationship between mental health, and for want of a more scientific term ‘being on the telly’. Perhaps the person driving this area more than any other is Jennifer Cummins, and her production company Heiress Films. Cummins has produced TV series such as the Life At series, as well as the Making Australia Happy, Making Couples Happy, and Making Families Happy series. Her latest series focused on men’s mental health. It was a joint venture between The Movember Foundation, Heiress Films and Professor Jane Pirkis, Director at the Centre for Mental Health, at the University of Melbourne.
The project investigated the reasons that Australia had such a staggeringly high suicide rate for men, and what could be done about it. Suicide is now the most common way for Australian men aged 15 to 44 to die (beyondblue, 2014). The project was called ‘Man Up’. Two things made this a unique project. Firstly, the three-part TV series was researched in a study by a team at the University of Melbourne to look at the impact of the show on men. Secondly, the show culminated with an advertisement (ad) that would be shown and pushed out across social media and through public relations opportunities, hoping to increase awareness of the issue (men’s mental health) and the show.
The research demonstrated that the program was successful in changing men’s attitudes towards mental health. Eighty per cent of men who took part in the research said the show had triggered a change for the better in their lives. The rest of this article looks at how we developed the ad, and the psychology and creative decisions behind its development.
Advertising is a utilitarian and creative process more than it is scientific and considered. ‘Whatever works’ is the driving mantra. It is also normally completely divorced from academic research. In advertising psychological insights do not need to come from psychologists, and rarely do.
The first insight for the campaign’s development came from my co-creator of the advertisement Adam Hunt. Adam is a well-lauded creative who created the famous ‘Rabbits’ ad for Telstra BigPond (the ad featuring a discussion around how Emperor Nasi Goreng kept the rabbits out with the Great Wall of China). His observation was that we rarely see men cry on TV. Part of the Man Up series was about encouraging men to express their emotions where appropriate. Showing men crying on TV could be seen to have a ‘social-norming’ effect, encouraging men in general to feel more comfortable, or feel it is more acceptable, to express themselves emotionally.
The next insight was found after digging around the self-help section of a bookshop and realising that young boys are just as expressive as young girls. All of us are born with a healthy ability to express ourselves when we are sad, deprived, uncomfortable or angry. We cry. However, somewhere along the way, men are taught to not cry.
The final psychological insight was a somewhat psychoanalytic concept that has stayed with me for years – depression and anger are two sides of the same coin, or sadness is anger turned inward. If we are encouraging boys to not express themselves, then they must turn those negative feelings inwards.
These three insights were circulated and bounced around until we quickly came to an idea that showed a progression of males crying. However, as they get older, they cry less and get angry more. The voice over explains these insights, and challenges men to express themselves when feeling down. The ad can be found by searching 'Man Up campaign' on YouTube.
The final creative decision of the ad was to hijack the end-frame, the place normally reserved for boring corporate terms and conditions, and use the frame to let men know the ad was bought to them by people who care – listing all the people in their lives who care about them in a fun, upbeat style. See the visual capture of the YouTube ad on the opposite page.
The ad was awarded one of the Top 10 Ads of 20161 and has had a staggeringly high number of views on the internet – currently around 50 million. This is extraordinary considering the ad had no paid media surrounding it.
Consumer psychology is an emerging field in Australia. It is being done well by many people in advertising, we just wish more psychologists were the ones actually doing it.
Written and authorised by your mum, your dad, and every mate you've every had.
Your wife, your son, your daughter, your brother, your sister, they'll all miss ya.
Your girlfriend, your boyfriend, the girl in the milk bar, neighbours near and far.
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These little words are yours to find, with love from those you'll leave behind.
1 mumbrella.com.au/year-review-10-best-ads-2016-mla-honda-417133