Time to Change Programme: October 2011 to March 2015

Summary of impact and learning

Social Marketing Campaign

National bursts of campaign

activity to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination What we did We ran five large, national bursts of social marketing activity between January 2012 and October 2014. On average, campaign bursts lasted for seven weeks. Our primary audience was the general We launched two new TV adverts: Start your public in England. Within this audience, conversation in 2013; and It’s the little things in we targeted 25-44 year olds in BC1C2 2014. We also developed media partnerships, socio-economic groups (our research including the Metro, LBC, talkSport radio, indicated that their attitudes were Real Radio and IPC Media. most likely to improve). Our secondary We promoted the campaign through our social audience was people with experience of mental health problems who wanted to media sites, and encouraged people to visit our support the campaign. website to: make a pledge to end mental health stigma and discrimination; download campaign We developed a new ‘bright spots’ strategy. materials; and run their own campaigns. We This was about demonstrating the kinds of also secured extensive media coverage during behaviour we wanted people to emulate, in campaign bursts, and ran a number of PR order to support someone with mental health stunts, including celebrity supporters posting problems. Our advertising ran across press, photographs of their Time to Change ‘tattoos’. radio, digital and TV, as well as on buses, tubes In addition, we ran targeted social marketing and washroom panels. activity aimed at: children and young people; African and Caribbean communities; and a male audience. What we achieved

• 45 million people reached through our campaign • Nearly 8.8 million recognised campaign material • 1.5 million reported improved mental health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour • After the October 2014 burst: 678,000 had asked someone how they were doing; 581,143 started talking about their own mental health • 63,215 individuals pledged to end mental health stigma and discrimination Our learning

1. Create many opportunities 2. Using real-life stories and to see or hear campaign voices can be powerful messages The ‘bright spots’ strategy had more Our ‘bright spots’ strategy was used for credibility when we used real-life voices several campaign bursts, so our audience and stories. We created opportunities could see and hear campaign messages for those with experience of mental many times and across a range of media. health problems to tell their stories, but The strategy was increasingly effective also gave a voice to friends, family and at driving behaviour change. colleagues who talked about the support they provided (the behaviour we wanted After the October 2014 burst, 14% of our target people to emulate). audience (678,000) said the campaign had prompted them to ask someone how they were doing (compared This gave the general public, in particular those not to 6% in 2012), and 12% (581,143) said the campaign close to mental health issues, the opportunity to hear had prompted them to start talking about their own personal experiences and learn about the impact of mental health (compared to 6% in January 2014 and stigma and discrimination. It also encouraged people 3% in 2012). Research conducted by the Institute of to start talking about their own mental health. Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience also found that respondents who were aware of Time to Change campaigns scored higher in mental health behaviour measures. 4. Maintain campaign momentum between large bursts of activity 3. Show a range of things that people can do The evaluation of our social marketing activity in 2009-2011 found that public Our evaluation found that our key message attitudes and behaviour towards people around ‘talking about mental health’ did with mental health problems improved not resonate with all audiences. immediately after a campaign burst, For example, it was not as effective with but dropped once the campaign had men and with audiences from Black and been ‘offline’ for a while. Minority Ethnic communities. In response, we undertook some continuous We therefore developed the campaign to show many low-level campaign activity, mostly through our different ‘small things’ that people can do to support social media and media work. As a result, brand a friend, family member or colleague with mental awareness of Time to Change reached a new high health problems, such as ‘send a text’ or ‘have a cup of 25% immediately before the October 2014 of tea’. As a result, ‘talking’ declined as a key message campaign burst, which showed that campaign take-out for our audience, but ‘small things can make momentum had increased. a difference’ and ‘stay in touch’ increased. Our learning

5. We could run an effective 6. Review how to approach campaign without working with target audiences TV advertising The starting point for our work with Television was most effective in reaching target audiences was understanding a mass of people, but we did not have where they were in relation to mental budget to run TV advertising for every health stigma and discrimination, other campaign burst. The results of the interrelated issues (such as the impact of campaign in October 2014, however, multiple discrimination), and how we could showed that we could produce a highly best reach them and change attitudes effective campaign without TV and behaviour. We commissioned audience advertising. insights research to learn more about African and Caribbean communities and We used a mix of media to promote our campaign children and young people. messages, including radio, digital and press advertising. We also advertised on buses, tubes and For African and Caribbean communities, some washroom panels, and used social media and other advertising worked well, for example radio and online channels, including running the January 2014 advertising in public spaces (such as bus panels advert as a pre-roll advert on YouTube. We also and The Metro). This was most effective if adverts developed strong media partnerships, for example were representative of the audience, and were with The Metro, and this was particularly effective at supplemented with some grassroots activity. We getting our messages to a large audience. undertook ongoing work with African and Caribbean communities in South London and Birmingham. Online campaigns were more effective for young people, including online films (egStand Up Kid) and working with well-known YouTube vloggers (such as Boyinaband). This was further enhanced by inviting schools to run activities, eg in assemblies, during “ I also feel our campaign bursts. media work with TV We ran targeted campaign activity at the same time, and radio has reached or close to, the main campaign bursts. This increased our reach and impact. It also showed that the issues people who we may are wider and not specific to the target audience, otherwise have which could be perceived negatively. struggled to reach.”

Time to Change Champion Our learning

7. We are reaching and empowering those close to mental health

58% of those who were aware of the “Your adverts are on campaign had proximity to mental health all the time and have helped (personal experience or they knew someone people understand me a little with experience of mental health problems). more. Some of my friends have They were also most likely to take action, liked your page so they know eg talking about mental health. how to better help me in my Whilst the campaign did not primarily target people with mental health problems, we saw increasing times of need. You’re doing numbers of people feeling confident to talk about their something fantastic and I, as a personal experiences. This has contributed to breaking person with a mental illness, down mental health stigma and discrimination. really appreciate it. A major piece of attitudes research was commissioned So thank you.” in 2015 to ensure the next five years of Time to Change could be built on the insight-driven approach used in the first and second phases of the campaign. This has looked at the benefits of targeting those who Comment on are already close to the issue, as well as how we can better reach colder audiences whose views we still Facebook need to change.

Find out more Information about the Stand up kid film: Time to Change campaign: www.youtube.com/ www.time-to-change.org.uk/ watch?v=SE5Ip60_HJk about-us/our-campaigns Time to Change pledge wall: It’s the little things TV www.time-to-change.org.uk/ advert 2014: pledgewall www.youtube.com/ Materials to order, including watch?v=kLT7MxxvFQo personal action pack and Start your conversation events box: TV advert 2013: www.time-to-change.org.uk/ www.youtube.com/ resources/order-materials watch?v=FY2r3lEOEPE Free downloads (tips cards, Wolfpack film (aimed at postcards, poster): a male audience): www.time-to-change.org.uk/ www.youtube.com/ download-free-resources watch?v=BuH_dI7Iw78