2022 Winners & Shortlists

HOSTAGES OF DEPRESSION

BrandTECOM GROUP / DUBAI SCIENCE PARK
Product/ServiceDUBAI SCIENCE PARK
EntrantSERVICEPLAN MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryPosters
Idea Creation SERVICEPLAN MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Background

Hypersomnia or oversleeping is one of the most telling signs of chronic depression. Due to the stigmas associated with mental health issues in the Middle East, over 66% of all cases go undiagnosed. Awareness is lacking and people mistake the symptoms of depression as flaws in themselves. Avoidance pushes people deeper into depression and further away from recovery. We were tasked with raising awareness on the subject and encouraging people to seek help.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

The idea was to visualize how the symptoms of chronic depression can incapacitate you. They can make you lose interest in things you once loved, withdraw from social life, and feel trapped in self-doubt. We used provocative illustrations showing different people trapped in self-doubt, their bed making it physically impossible to wake up – a visual metaphor for how undiagnosed depression can incapacitate you. Our message reminded them that what they’re going through is not their fault, and that it could be a symptom of a chronic illness. Each ad directed people to a PHQ-9 depression test to determine if they should seek professional help.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

To visually represent how undiagnosed depression can incapacitate you, we collaborated with an artist who has grappled with mental health challenges herself. She could instantly empathise with the issue and was excited to help us bring the campaign to life. Together, we created 3 unique and provocative visuals. Illustrated by hand and then coloured digitally using hues that evoke an emotional response. The feeling of being stuck in a vicious cycle of self-doubt was metaphorically represented using a bed: • Visual 1: Closing in on the person like a bear trap • Visual 2: Constricting and suffocating the human • Visual 3: Sucking the human into an empty void

List the results (20% of vote)

Since the launch of the campaign, the website traffic has increased by 180%. More than 4500 people have taken the PHQ-9 depression test and over 240 have booked consultations with mental health professionals.

Credits

Name Company Role
Rami Hmadeh Serviceplan Middle East Manager Partner
Natalie Shardan Serviceplan Middle East General Manager
Azhar Siddiqui Serviceplan Middle East Manager Partner
Frances Valerie Bonifacio Serviceplan Middle East Head of Strategy
Jason Romeyko Serviceplan Group Worldwide Executive Creative Director
Akhilesh Bagri Serviceplan Middle East Chief Creative Officer
Saleh Elghatit Serviceplan Middle East Creative Director
André Couto Serviceplan Middle East Creative Director
Oussama Founi Serviceplan Middle East Art Director
Sameer Suri Serviceplan Middle East Copywriter
Saaniya Abbas Serviceplan Middle East Art Director
Rana Ahmed Serviceplan Middle East Arabic Copywriter
Ramy Abdelrehim Serviceplan Middle East Business Director
Kathleen Angeles Serviceplan Middle East Account Manager
Jiawen Chen Caper Illustration Illustrator
Charbel Jreijiri Mediaplus General Manager
Vishwa Mohan Mediaplus Director, International Markets
Suprashv Adarsh Chopra Mediaplus Digital Media Director
Tareq Al Masri Mediaplus Media Manager