The #howareyou suicide prevention campaign (in Finnish #mitäkuuluu), designed and delivered by Manifesto and Bob the Robot on behalf of MIELI Mental Health Finland, has won the Pro Bono prize in the Finnish Comms Awards.
Bold and ambitious, the campaign tackles this important issue by speaking directly to the family and friends of those at risk of suicide and by giving voice to the real experts, people with lived experience of overcoming self-destructive thoughts. The campaign ran across multiple channels and made excellent use of earned media and influencer opportunities, while engaging meaningfully with young people. Ultimately, the campaign has been extremely successful in achieving the objectives set for it.
This is how the jury commented on its decision to present the Finnish Comms Awards Pro Bono prize to the #howareyou suicide prevention campaign jointly designed and delivered by Manifesto and Bob the Robot on behalf of MIELI Mental Health Finland.
“The #mitäkuuluu campaign has been incredibly important not only for our intended target audience, which includes absolutely everyone across the length and breadth of Finland, but also to all the staff involved in making it happen. According to a survey we carried out as part of the campaign, as many as one in two Finns knows someone how has either committed or attempted to commit suicide, making this a deeply personal topic for many. The campaign has genuinely raised awareness and helped change public attitudes towards suicide, and it is amazing that it is now being recognised with a Finnish Comms Award”, commented Jonna Varhama, a partner at Manifesto.
“We delivered this campaign together with Bob the Robot on a pro bono basis as we were all keen to donate our skills to this important cause.”
The campaign, which ran during autumn 2019, was particularly aimed at young people. The reason for this focus is that the past few years have seen a worrying increase in the suicide rate among young people in Finland. The campaign made creative use of media outlets and other channels popular with young audiences, building on the stories of real-life suicide survivors, who shared their experiences with the public. Find out more about the campaign here.
Manifesto continued work on the pro bono project in autumn 2020. This time, the focus was to prevent suicide among middle-aged men.
The #howareyou campaign has a previous track record of awards success, having won a prestigious Gold Effie in the in the Products and Services category in February 2020. Internationally, the campaign was among the finalists shortlisted for the 2020 EMEA SABRE Awards in the Not-For-Profit Organizations category.
The Finnish Comms Awards is organised by the Finnish Association of Marketing, Technology and Creativity (MTL).