Beyondblue talk to ‘blue-collar’ workers with tradie Davo in new Man Therapy campaign
Beyondblue is focusing its Man Therapy campaign,which aims to improve men’s wellbeing and reduce the rate of male suicide, on ‘blue-collar’ workers after a global survey revealed nearly a third of ‘blue-collar’ men do not know what to do if they are struggling with depression or anxiety.
The extension to the campaign, which launched two years ago and was renewed in January last year year, has introduced a new character ‘Davo’, a larrikin tradie who encourages men to “pull a thumb out” and look at the resources on Man Therapy to cope with various problems such as stress, anger, difficulty sleeping, drinking too much or sadness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPzjDYiQgNA
Created by Melbourne-based creative agency Marmalade, the campaign is designed to complement the existing work featuring the fictional Dr Brian Ironwood.
Beyondblue chairman Jeff Kennett said in a statement: “We’ve created Davo to help tradies and other men who don’t work in offices recognise the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety, and to guide them to support. Men owe it to themselves and their loved ones to be as healthy as they can be, and Davo will help them do that. This is a funny, cheeky and attention-grabbing campaign that will have a big impact.
The campaign was sparked by a global survey by TNS which surveyed 300 ‘blue-collar men’ and found only 49 per cent of men would speak to a GP if they were struggling with mental health.
Beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman said: “Man Therapy has been very successful. Nearly half of Australian men were exposed to it and a third of those visited a GP soon after seeing it. But our evaluation of its impact showed more could be done to target ‘blue-collar’ men, so we’ve adopted a fresh approach and created Davo.
“Nearly 2000 men die by suicide each year in Australia, triple the number of women and almost double the amount of men killed on our roads. This is fuelled by men’s reluctance to get help. The TNS report shows most men understand the importance of talking about mental health. Now we must encourage men to take action for themselves, and Davo is just the man to help us do that. I would also like to thank the Australian Government’s Department of Health for funding this campaign.”
Credits:
- Creative: Marmalade
- Media: Mediacom
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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i see the old “advertising to the working classes” textbook has been taken off the shelf and given a working over. remember to use simple words, a few blokey curses, throw in a hi-viz vest…
i thought the other one with mr brian ironmonger or whatever was patronising but this ad seems a lot worse
eh, if it works then why not
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At least “working class” advertising has moved on a bit since Singo’s ocker ads in the 1970s.
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1270, when I saw the high-vis vest I thought it was Tony Abbott.
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