How to help challenge mental health stigmas in the workplace with Do It Day

This is why Do It Day 2017 will be focusing on mental health, and in particular, in the workplace. The aim is to get marketers out of the office and join other industry experts, where they can change the world.

After the success of Do It Day 2016, which saw 20 campaigns based on social good launched in the UK and USA, this year Do It Day will be focusing on destigmatising mental health.

But how does Do it Day work? What will you be doing and how exactly will you challenge the norms of how people view mental health?

What is Do It Day?

The Drum's mission is empowering marketers to change the world and that is exactly what we are aiming to achieve through Do It Day. Each year, we pick a social issue to focus on where we think marketers can pool their skills and make a difference to the community around them. This year we will be looking at ‘Destigmatising Mental Health’ particularly in the workplace and schools. We will be looking to create campaigns where we encourage concrete action to address these issues.

Do It Day reflects everything that The Drum is about. We love ideas, we love getting things done and we love connecting with the community around us and helping to foster positive change.

What is the point behind Do It Day?

The point is to ultimately show that we care about the world around us and we think that the business of marketing can help make it a better place. Quite often the marketing industry is seen to be frivolous, but the tide is changing and people today want to know how they can help.

We want to show that when you get marketers from different backgrounds together whether that be agency-side, client-side, tech companies, they can achieve amazing results.

Why should agencies/marketers get involved?

There are many reasons why agencies and brand marketers should get involved:

• You’ll get to improve your marketing skills as you’ll be so closely involved in putting a campaign together
• As an agency, you’ll get to work alongside brands, and as a brand you’ll learn to work alongside agencies, each learning from each other.
• You’ll get to see your ideas come to fruition and your campaign go live on Do It Day

What is the one thing that should be taken from Do It Day?

The sense that if you put your mind to it, anything is achievable. People may be reluctant to take part in Do It Day because they think it’s just an idea generation day. But when they realise that it goes beyond the idea, and they actually have to execute it in a five-week timeframe, and they actually achieve this despite all the blood, sweat and tears, they come out the other end feeling immensely proud of what they and their company have achieved.

Do It Day starts with a hack session in London, New York and Singapore bringing together marketers from brands, agencies, tech companies, publishing companies and anyone who loves ideas on Tuesday 10 October, World Mental Health Day to devise a strategy around mental health.

Do It Day hack will be followed by a fringe week from Monday 13 November to Friday 17 along with the Marketing Can Change The World Awards on Thursday 16 November.