‘Real people, real stories’: this was a key theme we heard, when we met with local Murrumbidgee people, before starting to plan for this important mental health campaign.
And we knew from our previous Murrumbidgee campaign and its formative research, that people from all walks of life experience mental health concerns. Mental health concerns can happen to anyone. So we needed to build awareness and clear pathways for a wide range of the community, including many ‘hard-to-reach’ groups, such as those living in a rurally isolated location, those from the LGBTIQ+ community, and veterans; all the while, aiming to reduce stigma around seeking help at a time of crisis.
The ‘Connect Your Way’ campaign is built around a beautifully executed TV and video commercial, which has then been featured across many channels in the Murrumbidgee area, from the side of busses to cinema, digital and social media. Engaging, local and authentic stories are core to the campaign.
Awareness of the newly launched mphn.org.au/connect landing page grew from ‘not measurable’ to 25% of a representative sample of the local community (based on independently conducted, pre and post- campaign surveys n=76). Awareness of the local Accessline helpline grew from 12% to 33% over the first eight weeks of the campaign, and the landing page received nearly 8000 hits over this time.
