Brand | TECOM GROUP / DUBAI SCIENCE PARK |
Product/Service | DUBAI SCIENCE PARK |
Entrant | SERVICEPLAN MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |
Category | Use of Print / Outdoor |
Idea Creation
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SERVICEPLAN MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Why is this work relevant for Direct?
Mental health is a sensitive subject that has awful stigmas associated with it. As a result, getting those suffering from mental health issues to engage is a big challenge. So, we made their first step simple. A QR code emphasized the direct response component in all our ads, leading people to a PHQ-9 test, allowing them to better understand what they’re going through. Initial self-diagnosis was made available to them with one simple step.
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 (30% 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 strategy (20% of vote)
Depression is not your fault. When symptoms of depression are left undiagnosed, they can dig you deeper into self-doubt and push you further away from recovery. Our approach was to inform people that what they’re mistaking for flaws in themselves, could be symptoms of a common mental illness. We wanted to tell people to stop doubting themselves and know that it’s okay to seek help.
Describe the execution (20% 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 (30% 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
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 |