Another year, another Mental Health Awareness Month has come and gone. We see so many brands launching campaigns of awareness or empowerment. M&M’s anxious Orange character embracing “his true self, worries and all”; McDonald’s removing the smile from its Happy Meal Boxes; Oreo and Microsoft teaming up to tackle record levels of burnout and work-related stress by encouraging workers to take time for themselves—these campaigns no doubt shine a light on individuals’ struggles. But are they doing more harm than good, no matter how well-intentioned?
When you only focus on the communication and not on long-term structural commitment to change, you risk trivializing the crisis. This recent headline says it all. Too many of these campaigns or initiatives are signed off because somewhere there’s a report that says, “Mental health is a big thing—let’s use it as a driver for commercial success.”
Another problem with this approach is that it reinforces the representation of mental health as an issue of awareness-raising only. Getting people to talk about their struggles alone won’t move the needle enough. We’re facing a massive crisis. A recent study showed that climate anxiety, for example, is widespread in children and young people across the globe and is affecting their daily functioning. According to the World Health Organization, depression is a leading cause of disability globally. So, it’s questionable whether any communications campaign can even make a dent.
Business models for change
The real solution needs to be about creating business models that are more beneficial to us so that we don’t live in a world of growing anxiety—whether that’s due to bigger threats like the climate crisis or individual challenges such as self-image and confidence.
It’s about regeneration, the idea of a circular economy, and limiting the drain on resources. We talk about sustainability a lot, but it should apply just as much to people. Having a brand or organizational approach to mental health is about respecting people, rather than seeing their psychological states as another resource to be mined.
Arguably FMCG corporates are not well placed to work toward such change. By definition, “fast-moving consumer goods” and their promises of reward and benefits aren’t the most helpful of items for someone suffering from anxiety or low self-esteem. We need to remind ourselves that context matters. If you’re in a position as an organization to play a genuine role, in educating or supporting, then there’s a need for that—as with Norwich City FC and its “Check in on those around you” ad last year, for example. But unless the commitment is real, long-term, and fundamental, it’s probably best left alone.
