Consumers are Literally Searching for (your) “Help!”

Mental health is steadily and surely becoming less and less of a taboo, and more and more a top issue. It started way before the COVID19 crisis hit, but, for obvious reasons, everything that’s happened in 2020 made it even more of a priority for many. It caused a lot of anxiety and fear among millions of people across the globe.

Things are especially right to young millennials and Gen Z, as these age groups are the first ever to report mental issues as their most concerning health issues. About 37% of young adults recently reported receiving help or treatment from mental health professionals. Half of them do it to manage stress better.

This is the result of two main driving forces: 1) greater awareness, and 2) the unprecedented stressful combo of a global pandemic cross with an economic crisis crossed with social distancing crossed with the BLM protest crossed with the effects of social media crossed with asteroids passing too near Earth. You name it.

It is not surprising, then, that the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Stress in America Survey recently found that Gen Z is significantly more likely to seek professional help for mental health issues than some other generations.

Now let’s loop this all back to marketing and to nurturing relationships with consumers. As the aged groups discussed here are an increasingly significant consumer demographic, every brand must address this issue, in one or another, appropriate to their respective products. Furthermore, these age groups EXPECT brands to reach out and to be helpful towards them.

A Spring 2020 Edelman survey taken during the pandemic reported that 89% of respondents agreed with the statement “I want brands to shift money and resources to producing products that help people meet pandemic-related challenges.”

But how can your brand adjust its offering or position to match the requirements of this very sensitive issue?

Take example from some of these brands below who aced it.

KitKat

They recently partnered with an Australian mental health charity for suicide prevention. In limited edition wrappers, they will change the famous “Have a break, have a KitKat” tagline to “Have a break, R U OK?”.

“We’ve long seen people use KitKat bars as a catalyst to have a break, so we hope by joining forces with R U OK? we can encourage people to use these breaks to drive genuine conversations between people,” said Nestle Head of Marketing Confectionery, Joyce Tan.

JanSport

The bag brand is also trying to figure out what’s meaningful to consumers. Earlier this year, they launched the #LightenTheLoad campaign geared to assist young people with heightened stress due to the pandemic.

This campaign pivot focuses on issues that were spurred by the pandemic, like FOMO, isolation, fear and other emotions teens might currently be feeling.

Madhappy

A brand known for its support on the issue, they sell mental health awareness clothing with slogans such as “Local Optimist” and “A little goes a long way at the end of the day.”

A few months back, the LA-based brand dropped its “Positive Reinforcement” capsule for mental health awareness month. As a brand that targets stylish millennials and Gen Zers, it’s a great initiative!

Lululemon

Is it that surprising that a yoga wear company, like Lululemon, supports mental health? Either way, these guys are not missing on any substantial trend, it seems. Now the brand launched a collection of meditation tools, Peace on Purpose, for practicing mindfulness – a very nice way to shift its brand focus to accommodate customers.

Kenneth Cole

The urban clothing brand formed the Mental Health Coalition with non-profits like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Bring Change to Mind, Child Mind Institute, Crisis Text Line, JED Foundation, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and The Trevor Project.

The brand’s goal is to “to work toward destigmatizing mental health conditions.”

Additionally, as The Morning Brew’ Marketing edition reported last week,, two top agencies, Havas Media and R/GA, recently set out a new rulebook for 2020 for how brands should engage consumers through “meaningful media,” and avoid “toxic media environments.”

Combine that with the fact your consumers are Googling terms related to mental health, stress, and ways to cope with anxiety, way more than before – especially if they are from the age-groups we mentioned here, and you’ll be quick to realize acting on this issue must be on your near-future plans.

They are out there. They are worried. And, apparently, they expect you, the brand, to “HELP!”

Seize the opportunity to strengthen connections with customers – it might be closely related to how relevant your brand will be to millions of potential members of your community.