Since Singaporeans are reluctant to talk about suicide, we created a conversation starter: a little black plaster. Worn on the inner wrist, it simply asks, “How are you?” We distributed 50,000 plasters to everyone on World Suicide Prevention Day, and encouraged them to post a photo using #howru.

We expected everyone to interact with the plaster, or at least wear it to show their support (and in doing so, start a conversation with their friends and family members).

Just as you’d ask someone wearing a plaster if he or she was all right, preventing suicide starts by asking, “How are you?” The plaster was the perfect solution to help open conversations among Singaporeans, and get them to talk about a subject that’s normally taboo.

With that in mind, we distributed 50,000 plasters on World Suicide Prevention Day at popular locations such as shopping malls, subway stations, etc. The plaster (through #howru) also helped spread the message further, and got more people talking about suicide on social media – thus amplifying our message and reach.

We also created a digital plaster that people can add to their social media profiles, and put together a YouTube video for people to share online.

The campaign culminated on 10 September, when we distributed the plasters. And in just 48 hours:

• #howru became Singapore’s top trending topic on Twitter

• Celebrities and influencers got involved for free, including the former President of Singapore

• Generated some 4.5 million impressions

• Tens of thousands of photos and posts shared

• Nearly 3,000% increase in visits to SOS site

• Nationwide news coverage with no media spend.

And most importantly, we helped open countless conversations.