OOH ad ‘No, we’re not OK’ sparks industry discussion on merits of R U OK? Day
Out-of-home ads from men’s health technology platform, Pilot have sparked discussion across the industry about the merits of R U OK Day, as the company said progress has not been seen over men’s health.
Founder of digital healthcare start-up Eucalyptus and Pilot, Charlie Gearside took to LinkedIn yesterday to talk about the company’s response to the mental health awareness day.
Gearside further elaborated to Mumbrella: “There’s no denying R U OK has done great work this past decade, and mental health is now on everyone’s lips. Despite this effort, the suicide rate has actually increased for both men and women in the last 10 years.
“Given we at Pilot build technology that has put 100k Australian men in touch with the doctors and the healthcare system, we see first hand that a conversation is not enough. We need more people getting professional help earlier, before they’re off the rails.
“It may surprise some people in marketing that awareness campaigns can be both helpful and harmful – there’s a hidden cost.
“They’re helpful for changing public sentiment around mental health (no one would argue that’s been successful). They’re harmful when people mistake awareness with progress. Cupcakes one day a year are often a smokescreen for a lack of meaningful action and support for those who need it.
“We’ve had so many people reach out privately and send us support for the Pilot campaign because it cuts through the ceremony to change the intent of the convo.
“We’re challenging R U OK and other NGOs and government bodies to shift gears from awareness to action, and change those stats methodically.”
The campaign was posted across both Pilot and Eucalyptus socials as well, which prompted a discourse between some prominent individuals across the marketing industry about the merits, timing and nature of this response.
CEO of Innocean and founder of Fck the Cupcakes, Jasmin Bedir said: “Really? You’re hijacking an important initiative with messaging about dick pills? Or why am I getting retargeted after click on on your RUOK post? If you were genuine you would have disabled all the ad tech on that page. Performative HR theatrics are shite (and that’s why I founded (Fck the Cupcakes but really this is not that much better. This is a cynical grift.”
Henry Innis, co-founder at Mutiny weighed in on LinkedIn: “One of the core problems in society today is we confuse awareness of a problem to solving a problem.
“Proud of Eucalyptus (Charlie Gearside + Tim Doyle + Alexey Mitko) for calling it out and getting us to focus on what matters (shifting the dial) as opposed to simply patting ourselves on the back.
“That’s what real, authentic purpose looks like.”
Ben Shepherd added: “I Would love to understand the drivers behind such a public dunk on an initiative that has moved the conversation and at the very least has removed stigma around discussion of the area, when you could easily do this (ironically corporate) initiative in parallel. The cupcake line and the claim around backslapping etc is lazy straw man and feels designed to criticise one thing in order to make another feel more worthy. Seems at odds with wanting to improve the situation.”
Chris Little – group creative director at Ogilvy Australia said: “Usually a big fan of Eucalyptus’ work mate, but this feels like a little bit of a cheap shot at an organisation that’s been beating the drum well before corporate cupcakes were a thing. A simple conversation starter is their action and there’s plenty of resources, clinical expertise and real world experience behind that too. I know the target of this work is the corporate box tickers, but I’m not sure Joe Blow will see it that way. Surely the way to truly solve a problem of this scale is to collaborate and pool resource rather than compete.”
Jack Toohey – ECD and founder of Sure Studios – added: “With respect to the R U OK crew, have always felt it’s the wrong question to spotlight. Even as a starting point. For most of my life I just said “yes”, it was what I thought was expected of me and what I tricked myself into believing was true. Conversation over.
“I’m sure R U OK day has served a lot of people, but for me it played a role in trivialising my experience – pushing me further away from getting real about my mental health, seeking help and eventual diagnosis. So it’s refreshing to see this. It’s the answer a lot of people probably hope not to hear when they pose the question, but it’s the answer that is all too true for far too many people.
“I know first hand that Pilot has the resources to back up this ‘edgy’ stance and it’ll spark some great conversations. It’s not just being contrarian for the sake of it. Back it big time Charlie!”
Cade Heyde, partner at Special, was succinct: “Love this.”
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Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.
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