To mark Men’s Health Week 2016 beyondblue and Nissan Australia have launched ‘Chat Laps’, an initiative encouraging Australian men to take a drive and talk, to help battle anxiety and depression.

The initiative, developed by Whybin\TBWA Group Melbourne, uses the concept of a ‘lap’ to get mates speaking to each other more openly, and was conceived after reviewing a recent study noting men were far more likely to talk honestly when they weren’t facing each other.

Chat Laps launches with a film demonstrating the ease at which men chat when they’re in the car, side by side. Men are also encouraged to adorn their vehicles with a Chat Laps sticker, identifying themselves as being ‘up for one’ should a mate want to talk.

Out of eight suicides in Australia every day, six of them are men, and in no line of work is the problem worse than the building industry. Suicide among construction workers aged 15-24 is twice as high as other young males. And with only around a quarter of all men accessing help for a mental disorder, there’s a long way to go to remove the stigma associated with guys having honest conversations with one another.

Chris Mandile, director marketing and sales of Nissan Australia said, “Chat Laps highlights how time spent in the car can be used to check on others or open up. Car journeys are a great opportunity to talk about anything that’s bothering you, what begins as banter may end up saving a life.”

beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman added, “One of the problems we’ve found is that if men aren’t feeling great, they’re often unsure about which of their mates they can talk to about it.  What we love about this initiative is that it tackles ‘the conversation’, as well as some of the barriers to having it.”

More information about Chat Laps and how to have a difficult conversation with your mates, can be found at beyondblue.com.au/chatlaps

Credits

Client: beyondblue & Nissan Australia
Creative Agency: Whybin\TBWA Melbourne

Creative:
Executive Creative Director: Paul Reardon
Creative Director: Tara Ford

Creatives: Tim Woolford. Scott Canning

Senior Producer: Nik Round
Production:
Production Company: TRUCE

Director: Nick Clifford

Producer: Michael Ciccone

 

Account Service & Planning:
Planner: Harrison Steinhart
Account Director: Damiano Di Pietro

Account Manager: Usman Khan

 

Social Team:

Head of Social: Hien Pham