Doritos has partnered with youth mental health organisation, ReachOut, to encourage young people to start a conversation and check in with themselves.
Every day, many young Australians hide the reality of how they’re feeling due to things like stigma or judgement. New research found 68 per cent of young people deflect the question or commonly respond with “I’m fine” when asked how they are feeling, with 3 in 5 young Aussies using phrases like “I’m fine,” “I’m good” or “I’m okay” up to 10 times a week, 40 times a month and 520 times a year.
At a time when mental illness is at an all time high (a whopping 72 per cent of Australians have felt emotionally or mentally down in the last year), Doritos has changed its packaging across its entire range to feature a “Be Bold. Reach Out” message. The new packs feature a QR code on the pack which, once scanned, opens ReachOut’s Checking In With Yourself Quiz that has been designed to help young people track how they’re feeling and provide steps to take if they feel like they need some additional advice or support.
Vandita Pandey, CMO at PepsiCo, said: “We’re proud to partner with ReachOut because we believe people should feel confident and comfortable checking in with themselves and expressing how they feel. It’s an incredible online mental health service that is available for anyone 24/7 and we think more people need to know these services exist and are easy to use.
“We are using the power of our voice and our brand platform, with three months of media and 13 million packs in market, to remind people to ‘Be Bold and Reach Out’ and access this amazing network when they need it,”
The agency village consisting of Akcelo, Republic of Everyone, The Bravery and Trio (OMG) delivered a multi-channel campaign for the partnership consisting of:
- Pack and campaign creative, activated through over 13 million packs on shelf around Australia
- Campaign event activations through two unique boat cruises on Sydney Harbour in a Doritos X Reach Out “I’m Fine” boat, which were attended by over 400 media, influencers and general public
- Media and influencer engagement resulting in performance of over 25 pieces of media coverage, nearly 300 pieces of earned social content creation, collecting over 40 million in reach
- Talent engagement featuring millennial mental health youth advocates, DJ Tigerlily (pictured below, right) and artist Mikey Ting (pictured below, left)
- New consumer market research, delivering new insights into Australian mental health and underpinning core creative insights
Aden Hepburn, CEO Akcelo said: “We are proud to lead this fantastic initiative for Doritos and ReachOut. It’s a fact that we often use ‘I’m fine’ to deflect how we really feel – a simple insight that has been brought to life in a beautiful and interesting way. We hope this campaign will help raise some much-needed awareness for youth mental health.”
Ben Peacock, founder, Republic of Everyone said: “Poor mental health is the new pandemic and not talking about it is what lets it incubate. By encouraging people to open up and tell their stories – and creating a safe, fun space to do so – we’re hoping to make sure everyone knows help is at hand and it’s ok to say so when you’re not.”
Claire Maloney, founder, The Bravery said: “We know from extensive research on social causes, mental health is a top concern for young Australians. Additionally, Gen Z’s are looking to brands to take on these issues and support not-for-profit partners in a meaningful way. Linking directly to Reach Out’s services, and the awareness raised on seeking help if you need it, has been crucial in this campaign to deliver on these needs from young Australians.”
Simon Odisho, Trio planning director, OMG said: “Trio is incredibly excited to partner with Doritos, ReachOut and all agency partners to shed light on a real concern for Gen Z. Mental Health awareness is one of our passions at Trio and having that personal connection to the campaign gave us such pride to work with the team on such an amazing initiative.”
Ashley de Silva, CEO of ReachOut, said that finding practical strategies to prevent “everyday” issues from becoming bigger can be really beneficial. “Being able to check in with yourself and openly acknowledge that you might be having a “tough day” is such a big and important step in all of our mental health journeys. After a challenging few years for young people in Australia, conversation and connection is so important and we are proud to be partnering with a brand like Doritos to increase youth mental health awareness and encourage people to check in with themselves and each other.”
AGENCY CREDITS:
Client: Pepsico – Doritos
Vandita Pandey – Head of Marketing, Australia & New Zealand, Snacks & Beverages
Bridget McBride – Brand Manager
Katherine Twomey – Marketing Manager
Skye Oxenham – Communications Manager
Strategy & Creative: Akcelo
Aden Hepburn – CEO
Louise McQuat – Creative Director
Oskar Westerdal – Creative Director
Ken Parris – Snr. Art Director
Antonia Day – Junior Copywriter
Michael Debach – Snr. Producer
Daniel Burns – Digital Producer
Harman Brar – Community Manager
Joanna Lawrence-Smith – Group Account Director
Max Austin – Snr. Account Director
Creative & Activation: Republic of Everyone
Ben Peacock – Founder
Zuzana Zaloudek – Creative Director
Diana Carniato – Project Director
Lilli Thomson – Project Director
Joe Von Trump – Senior Copywriter
Eva Kiss – Creative
Dani Sellers – Design Director
Gabrielle Peters – Strategy
Chris Houghton – Head of Digital
Henry Stafford – Creative & Videography
Ross Caddaye – Photography
Le Bleu – Boat
PR, Influencer Engagement & Research: The Bravery
Claire Maloney – Founder
Laura Bestman – Senior PR Strategy
Megan Bentley – PR Manager
Ellie Bright – Influencer Manager
Annabel Wilcher – PR Executive
Lara Lightfoot – MC
Corah Fortune – PR Assistant
Bianca Lau – PR Assistant
DJ Tigerlily – DJ/Musician
Mikey Ting – Artist
Media Planning: Trio, OMG
Remi Baker – Head of Strategy, Sydney
Jen Jones – Business Director
Simon Odisho – Planning Director
Alanna Bowman – Senior Investment Manager
Agne Staraite – Activation Manager
Jacqui Feros – Investment Executive
