The Journal - Ministry of Health
RSVP Grand Prix and Nexus Supreme Winner
Issue 18 | March 2011
Agency
DraftFCB
Production Team
Brian van den Hurk, James Mok, Simon Sievert, Murray Watt, Nick Pengelly, Esther Watkins, Kate Heatley, Matt Scott, Candace Bagnall
Other Credits
Barbara Phillips, Derek Thompson, Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Background
New Zealand has one of the highest suicide rates in the world at an annual cost of over $200m. Though one in seven New Zealanders will experience depression, there is reluctance to seek professional help. To get more people to recognise the illness and take action about recovery, DraftFCB and the Ministry of Health thought they could take treatment to the people.
Idea
Applying best-of-breed relationship marketing techniques to the process, DRTV featuring rugby star John Kirwin drove people to a website where, through web, txt and email, they could treat thmselves or be directed straight through to a doctor.
Believed to be the first time advertising has combined with online self-help therapy in an integrated social marketing campaign, the project turned the current paradigm of mental health on its head, challenging established practices and addressing risk management issues.
In creating their own journals, visitors went through six interactive lessons in improving diet, getting exercise, improving sleep quality, reducing stress, practising psoitive thinking and learning how to overcome problems.
Results
In the first four months of the campaign, when 2,000 people might be expected to visit a doctor for depression, 150,000 Kiwis visited the site to assess their level of risk. 8,300 of them signed up for ‘The Journal’ to begin to learn the skills to guide their own recovery. 551 people reached out to the personalised services for help.
More importantly, using the medical industry standard test - the PHQ9 - to assess people’s condition, early results have proved promising with 69.42% of those completing ‘The Journal’ improving their score by more than 25%.