Huntsman Mental Health Institute/Ad Council share an ambitious mission to create a more accepting, proactive and open society when it comes to mental health.

Mental health stigma is one of the top barriers stopping people from getting the help they need.

We dug into a segmentation study across American adults to uncover those that suffer from mental health challenges most, but face especially strong social stigma. This segment skews heavily towards Black and Hispanic men.

This segment accounts for 70 million US adults who are struggling with mental health but unlikely to seek help, as of 2023. Despite reporting mental health challenges (77% report experiencing depression or anxiety symptoms in the last 2 weeks), over half (51%) see reaching out for mental health help as a sign of weakness, not strength.

To fight the stigma holding this audience back, we had to reframe mental health from avoidance to acceptance.

We approached people as they aren recognizing that they exist, have a voice and something valuable to share, and that they are not alone in how they feel. These intentions determined the cinematography of the film. Everything was intended to honor our audience, show them in a dignified manner and bring light to the journey ahead of them.

We achieved this by capturing raw moments without any distractions whatsoever. That's why the camera doesn't move and the subjects are right in your face – front and center. The goal was to put our viewers as close as we could to each hero so they could breathe and feel what it’s like to be in their shoes. Scenes were sparsely dressed if at all. The lighting and color grade were aimed to highlight the beauty in what could be perceived as the mundanity and monotony of life.

We successfully shifted our target’s internalized stigma around mental health1

• 37%+ overall strongly agreeing that “it’s a sign of strength when someone reaches out for help with their mental health” (26% TB*)

o 153%+ in segment Hispanic men (38% TB*)

o 43%+ in segment Black men (40% TB*)

• 26%+ in Black men agreeing “it is important to actively take care of my mental health” (78% T2B agree*)

• 21%+ in Black Men agreeing “actively taking care of my mental health is a top priority to me” (75% T2B agree*)

• 89%+ in Hispanic Men strongly agreeing that “taking care of my mental health helps me be successful in my goals in life” (36% TB*)

o 50%+ in Black Men (33% TB*)

1 Source: Ad Council Brand Tracking, Oct 2023-Feb 2024

2 Source: Ad Council Media Outlet Reporting

3 Source: Ad Council Website Dashboard, Oct 2023-Feb 2024

*Statistically significant