KHP is Canada’s only national, bilingual, 24/7 e-mental health service offering free, confidential support to any youth in any moment of crisis or need. It’s an essential service, as nearly half of youth who want to talk to someone about a mental health problem or emotional issue don’t know where to go. And while it might seem easier to bottle up tricky emotions, doing so has been scientifically proven as a barrier to good physical and mental health. And sadly, in too many instances, a barrier to life.

So, we aimed to empower kids to let it all out. The bad feelings, the sad feelings, the “I’m not sure what I’m feeling” feelings – with a new brand platform called ‘Feel Out Loud’. The film, which depicts Kids Help Phone as a safe space where youth can express their feelings in a hopeful light, was directed by Matilda Finn.

The ‘Hidden Feelings’ film follows the stories of three different young people each holding back their overwhelming feelings at school, a party and at home. We’re met with harrowing stares from mean kids as a girl at school is iced out, followed by a young man experiencing butterflies at a party, and a little boy watching on as his parents argue late at night. From flecks of snow to rushes of water, dramatic shifts in their environments depict their emotional states as they hold their true feelings inside. Until finally, they let their emotions out under a hopeful light. In the end, we reveal that the light on their face was coming from their devices – they were expressing their true feelings to Kids Help Phone (KHP). 

The campaign delivered across our attitudinal (intent, relevance, brand equity measures) and behavioural (website traffic) campaign objectives.

We saw the highest intention amongst youth to reach out to KHP in 2+ years. 76% of young people say they are likely to reach out to KHP if needed, a 12-point increase.

80% of young people think that KHP understands and is relevant to diverse populations of young people, an 11-point increase.

76% of young people agree that KHP is trusted by their peers, an 11-point increase.

74% of young people think that KHP unlocks the hope young people need to thrive in their world, a 13-point increase.

Overall visits to the website increased by 88% compared to the same period in the year prior, and people spent 10% more time on the site, accessing 12% more content.

Sources: Kids Help Phone Brand Health Tracking, Waves 2 (2022) and 1 (2023)