3 Marketing Campaigns That Have Transformed The Way We Think About Mental Health
In the realm of modern business, marketing campaigns have transcended their traditional role of driving sales. They have become powerful agents of change, capable of influencing societal behaviors and addressing critical issues. This is particularly true for well-known brands, whether they are endorsed by influential celebrities, are long-established, or have a wide audience reach.
A pressing issue many people face today is mental illness, which has been especially rampant in the aftermath of the pandemic and has only heightened amidst current geopolitical conflicts and mounting polarization driven by upcoming presidential elections. With so many people struggling with mental wellness, there is an area of opportunity for businesses to make a meaningful impact by spreading awareness and fostering a supportive environment for the audiences they serve.
Struggles with mental health are particularly crucial in children and young adults. This demographic faces a mental health crisis, with alarming statistics underscoring the urgency of the issue. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Gen-Z, with 15% of youth and young adults affected. 16% of adolescents aged 12-17 experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year, while a staggering 87% of teens and young adults regularly grapple with mental health problems, primarily anxiety.
But what can businesses do to help? Well, several marketing campaigns have significantly transformed public perception of mental health–including Rare Beauty’s Rare Impact Fund & Mental Health 101 campaign, the film Inside Out 2, and Dove’s Self-Esteem Project. These are, to name a few, exemplary initiatives that not only promote mental health awareness but also foster a culture of support and understanding.
Let’s take a closer look into how these campaigns demonstrate a business’ ability to drive meaningful change while achieving their strategic objectives.
- Rare Beauty
Rare Beauty, founded by Selena Gomez, has become a beacon of mental health advocacy within the cosmetics and beauty industry. Utilizing her massive platform – over 425 million Instagram followers on her personal account and 4 million followers across social media channels for Rare Beauty – she shares her personal experiences with mental health challenges (Bipolar disorder and Psychosis episodes) and how her experiences have led to the creation of Rare Beauty. In 2020, Rare Beauty launched the Rare Impact Fund, committing to donating 1% of all sales to this initiative. Its mission is to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and provide young people with access to the resources they need. Their target audience, ranging from ages 16 to 35, spans diverse demographics, and emphasizes “a stigma free brand” — no discrimination of gender identities, sexual orientations, races, cultural backgrounds, or mental state.
An additional part to this initiative was Mental Health 101 (launched in 2021) which advocates for mental health in education, empowering communications, and encourages financial support for more mental health services in educational settings. This initiative has been especially effective for younger students, serving as a critical resource during and in the years since the pandemic.
As of 2023, the campaign has made a global impact, reaching 1 million young people across five continents and raising $7 million. These campaigns have transformed the way people approach their mental health and Rare Beauty has successfully provided a clear and relatable goal that invites self-acceptance and embracing imperfections that makes one rare. The brand provides many tools and resources to make people feel less alone, which only adds to the success of the campaign and the lasting impression it has made on its target audience. The brands’ ability to create a strong association between Selena Gomez, Rare beauty as a brand itself, and mental health advocacy has been instrumental to the campaigns success and serves as a glowing example of how celebrities can use their platforms to make an impact.
- Inside Out 2
Inside Out 2, the highly anticipated sequel from Disney-Pixar, arrived nine years after the original film’s release. This movie follows 13-year-old Riley as she navigates the tumultuous journey of puberty, introducing new emotions like Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. Taking place at Riley’s high school and her ice hockey camp, her experiences reflect the challenges many young teens face.
Focusing on Anxiety, a newly introduced emotion in the film, is particularly relevant as it mirrors a common mental health issue affecting countless people worldwide The movie’s depiction of anxiety attacks portrays the common experience that addresses the anxiety epidemic. In the end, the film provides solutions by emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and managing one’s mental health. This is portrayed in the final scene where Joy helps Anxiety by providing a massage chair, a lit candle, and a drink— self-care methods viewers can use to manage anxiety.
While the primary audience is children, the film also resonates with parents accompanying their kids and young adults who grew up with the first movie – allowing the core messaging to reach a wider range of demographics.
Beyond anxiety, there are other significant themes like losing one’s sense of self, coping with high expectations, going through puberty, and navigating friendships. These factors all contribute to the likelihood of developing mental health issues, making Inside Out 2 an educational vehicle used to address the emotional challenges that the younger demographic is facing.
Not only was the film educational, but it was also entertaining – Inside Out 2 became the highest grossing movie of 2024 to date. Its broad appeal across ages 12-34 challenged the ways viewers think about parenting, encouraged viewers to understand one’s existence/emotions, and normalized the discussion around mental health, all while achieving Disney-Pixar’s strategic goals in terms of revenue.
- Dove
Dove has crafted their brand as one that is set on changing the beauty industry. Its mission – to help the next generation of women grow up with self-confidence– is all about boosting self-esteem and decreasing mental health issues. In fact, their tagline is “beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety”. With the launch of The Dove Self-Esteem Project (DSEP) in 2004, the company explained that “6 out of 10 girls are so concerned with the way they look that they opt out of important activities”. Dove utilized research and data to shine a light on harmful beauty content and how it aids in forming unrealistic expectations linked to physical consequences like disordered eating and self-harm, affecting one in two children exposed to such content.
In response to these findings, Dove has worked to provide world-class resources such as self-esteem workshops, confidence kits, and LGBTQ+ youth kits to their audience. The campaign has already reached 82 million young people in 150 counties and aims to reach a quarter of a billion by 2030.
In addition to marketing their products, Dove has successfully raised awareness about mental health and has demonstrated a brand’s ability to be educational and impactful.
Companies Have a Voice and They Should Use it
Businesses have the power to impact their audiences – and that goes beyond the traditional sense of moving a consumer through the buyer’s journey. Today, the most successful companies don’t just sell a product, they make a meaningful impact on their audiences. Rare Beauty, Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out film, and Dove, have all contributed to positively impacting the young minds of the new generation. Marketing campaigns can transform the way we view the world around us and the way we view ourselves, and that influence should not be taken lightly.
By Samantha Weng
Photo by Tara Winstead via Pexels
