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Social Media Mental Health Influencer Marketing

Powerful anti-suicide campaign shows last messages sent by men to loved ones

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By Chris Sutcliffe, Senior reporter

March 29, 2022 | 4 min read

A bold campaign from Men’s Minds Matter and Media Bounty looks to encourage conversations to address male suicide by showing the last messages sent to loved ones.

Mens Minds Matter OOH

The campaign features the last messages ever sent by men who took their own lives

Men are disproportionately more likely to take their own lives in the UK. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics demonstrate that suicide is still the biggest killer of men under 45, with men making up 76% of all suicides in the UK over the past decade. It has been described as a mental health crisis, exacerbated by the fact that men are less likely to speak about their issues and seek help.

Men’s Minds Matter has launched a new campaign aimed at breaking that cycle in collaboration with Media Bounty. The ‘If You Think Something’s Up, Speak Up’ campaign displays the last message sent by men to loved ones before they took their own lives across digital OOH (DOOH) screens and social media.

Tommy Lee, senior copywriter at Media Bounty, said: “For many of us, suicide might feel like something that only happens on the news. But the numbers are staggering – we all have a message from a friend that could be the last. It’s so important to talk, no matter how excruciating that idea might be. Thanks to the families who took part in the campaign. It’s been an honor to tell their stories.”

The ads feature recreations of the last messages suicidal people ever sent, in addition to the sobering statistic that a British man takes his life every two hours.

Mens Minds Matter Jodie

Previous ad campaigns aimed at highlighting the issue of suicide include ‘Project 84,’ which saw 34% more people reaching out for help than is typical. It highlights the value of surfacing statistics and methods of seeking help to vulnerable people grapping with their mental health.

Nigel Sandeson and Dr Luke Sullivan are directors of Men’s Minds Matter. In a statement accompanying the launch they said: “We’re really excited to be collaborating with Media Bounty on this campaign. Not only will it help to raise awareness about suicide in men, it will also help to support our ambitions to save lives and bring a focus to our work. At MMM, we have developed a model for intervention, which we believe can save lives.

“Our model explains suicidality at the individual psychological level. This allows us to structure our interventions in a way which targets the mechanisms that lead to and maintain suicidality. We’re super psyched to have this nailed down and we’re already having success applying the model in MMM and NHS crisis services.”

The campaign launches today (29 March) and is set to be rolled out across the UK and appropriate social channels.

Social Media Mental Health Influencer Marketing

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