Media Release
Friday 10 October
For Immediate Release
Like Minds Campaign and National Depression Initiative Win Gold at CAANZ EFFIE Awards at Mental Health Awareness Week
Campaigns for the Like Minds, Like Mine and the National Depression Initiative were awarded gold at last night’s CAANZ
EFFIE awards, which represent the pinnacle in advertising effectiveness.
Both campaigns were created by Agency of the Year, DraftFCB, for the Ministry of Health.
The coveted GRAND EFFIE for SUSTAINED SUCCESS was given to the Ministry’s Mental Health campaigns, created to change the
way New Zealanders view and treat people with mental illness.
When the Like Minds campaigns launched in 2000, the general public’s attitude towards mental illness was one of denial,
disinterest or downright discrimination, driven through a lack understanding and negative media stereotypes.
Real stories from well known figures, such as rugby icon, John Kirwan, and not so well known people with experience of
mental illness were integral to both campaigns. These stories have given New Zealanders an insight into the lives of
those who experience mental illness and helped them to understand their role in recovery and integration into society.
The campaigns have helped to create a more supportive environment helping by taking New Zealanders on a journey from
ignorance, intolerance or indifference towards a state of acceptance and supportiveness as well as helping improve the
understanding about depression and increasing recovery.
Both campaigns continue to significantly influence the way NZ talks and behaves towards mental illness; delivering a
much more tolerant, more accepting, more supportive and less discriminatory environment.
The Ministry of Health also won a gold EFFIE in the SOCIAL MARKETING / PUBLIC SERVICE category for TheLowdown.co.nz
website, which is part of its National Depression Initiative created to help young New Zealanders understand and recover
from depression.
The aim of the website is to reduce the impact of depression on youth by encouraging them to seek help. Young people are
notorious for not going to GPs or using other support services. They are difficult to engage, even with issues that
interest them, let alone with an issue that they don’t understand and that still carries a social stigma.
One in seven young Kiwis will experience serious depression over the next 12 months, a condition closely linked to
suicidal behaviour.
TheLowdown.co.nz is a leading edge multimedia website where musicians and celebrities shared their experiences of
depression. A place where youth can learn about depression, take a self-test, listen to NZ music, talk to their peers
via a message board and receive professional support via free text messaging and email support services.
Brian van den Hurk, DraftFCB General Manager, says, “With the sobering statistics for youth depression and suicide it is
crucial that we help young people to deal with and recover from depression. TheLowdown.co.nz has been created for them
to get help as quickly as possible. If they can develop their skills in coping with what life throws at them, they can
have more control over their future. “
ENDS