The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a national organization dedicated to offering Canadians the education and resources they need to be proactive about their mental health before mental illness can take hold.

While many Canadians experience a decline in their mental health during the holiday season, each year CMHA is challenged to reach those in need during this time given the media’s focus on the more “positive” seasonal narratives.

Our brief was to find a way to balance the conversation so those who needed help knew they weren’t alone and that there are resources available.

We took the trope of the tacky “ugly holiday sweater” and flipped it on its head, using the iconic sweater as a canvas to highlight truths about the “ugly” impact of the festive season on the mental health of Canadians.

The sweaters were sent directly to influential mental health advocates to wear and share on their platforms. They were intentionally packaged in stark black boxes to stand out from the colourful, joyful tone of the season. Each box contained a sweater, a note card asking the influencer to wear the sweater as a show of support, and links to resources developed by the CMHA.

The campaign targeted a niche group of influential Canadian mental health advocates. We curated a list of social media influencers, journalists, on-air personalities, musicians, actors, athletes, policy makers, politicians…even the wife of Canada’s Prime Minister, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau. We appealed to their passion for the subject and presented them with a simple ask: Wear this sweater on your media of influence as a gift to those suffering this holiday.

The campaign was executed during two weeks leading up to the holidays in December 2021. It began with 100 sweaters sent directly to our target list, a group strategically chosen to get attention in online media, social media, and mainstream broadcast media.

Awareness of the message was the primary goal. From Dec 14-28, with $0 for media or influencer partnerships:

67,000,000 organic impressions

164 influencer posts, 2500+ comments (with a 96% positive sentiment)

86 minutes of unpaid national TV coverage

240 earned media placements across Canadian broadcast, radio, and print

Change in behaviour: A 9% increase in Canadian conversation around mental health during the 2021 holiday season (vs 2020)

We had social media stars, actors, media personalities, celebrities, the mayors of Toronto and Montreal, NHL players, and Grand Slam tennis champions all posting online and appearing on air wearing our sweaters. Even the Prime Minister of Canada’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, wore one during a 6 minute segment on leading national news program Global’s The Morning Show.