McCann Health Campaign for Shatterproof seeks to change the perception about opioid addiction and reduce stigma
Shatterproof New York
Issue 51 | June 2019
Agency
McCann Health New York, McCann New York
Creative Team
Global CCO: Matt Eastwood Chief Creative Officer, MHNY: June Laffey VP, ACD: Matt Sherring ACD: Travis Borgess ACD: Sage Romano Senior Art Director: Kiril Shevyakov Art Director: Nicole Myer
Production Team
Executive Producer: Deb Archambault Producer: Phoebe Chao Production Partners: Waterlily Pond Floral Designers: Natasha Lisitsa, Daniel Schultz Paper Floral Designers: Makerie Co, Julie Wilkinson Greenhouse Provider: Exaco Co. Portrait Photography: Gus Powell Time Lapse Photography: Matt T Butler Director of Photography: Eric Perini Website Production: Dan Graham, SM2 Dev
Other Credits
Global Public Relations Agency: Weber Shandwick President, North Americas: Amar Urhekar President, McCann Health, New York (MHNY): Leo Tarkovsky Account Director: Michael Mutchler EVP, Managing Partner: Gary Chu SVP, Experience Strategy: Jacqueline LoveLock EVP Executive Strategy Director: Erica Yahr Experience Strategy Director: Anna Gaudio Music composition: Jeremy Turner, Heatjt Manager, Media Relations: Kat Romaniuk Shatterproof: Founder, Chairman and CEO: Gary Mendell Director of Content Strategy: Stacy Gerard Senior Communications Manager: Holly Jespersen Senior Creative Manager: Jessica Ishikawa Senior Editor: Jess Keefe Director, Shatterproof Ambassador/Community Alliance Program: Lynne A. Nouvel Director of Technology: Anthony Della Camera
Date
April 2019
Background
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)1 defines addiction as a chronic brain disease. Opioids actually change the chemistry in your brain, including the areas that are critical to judgment, decision making, and behavior control.
The goal of McCann Health’s non-profit client, Shatterproof’s HopeStems campaign is to change the perception about opioid addiction and reduce stigma by letting the public know the medical truth. Opioid addiction is a brain disease, not a moral weakness. When addiction is treated as a disease, people who are addicted will feel less shame and be more likely to seek treatment, and ultimately recover.
Idea
The #HopeStems campaign used flowers to bring hope by revealing the truth about opioid addiction: that it’s a chronic illness that changes the brain, and that recovery is beautiful. The art installation was in Herald Square, NY outside of the Macy’s Flower Show. Over 3 days the beautiful floral brain (9000 carnations) got changed by black poppies (200 hand-made paper black poppies) that represent opioids. On the final day, today, visitors were be asked to be part of the solution and remove a poppy. On every stem there was an anti-stigma message of hope. Through the public’s help, the floral brain will recover to its former beauty.
“This campaign has the power to not only change the way people think about opioid addiction, but to save lives. Opioid addiction is not a weakness. It is a disease that changes the brain. There’s science to prove it. Hope stems from reducing the stigma and speaking with compassion. So let’s all speak with one voice. The more we reduce stigma, the more people will seek treatment and the more lives will be saved.” - June Laffey Chief Creative Officer, McCann Health New York Dr. Lipi Roy, M.D, M.P.H., Addiction Expert Quotes from Doctor Roy. - “Opioids impact the most complex machine known to human kind – the human brain.” - “Unfortunately, stigma remains a major barrier to care for most people with substance use issues. As an addiction medicine specialist, I remind people every day of two key points: 1. Addiction is a chronic medical illness, a disease of the brain, where relapse is expected. Addiction is NOT a sign of moral weakness or failure.
2. Most people with addiction, once connected to the appropriate treatment and recovery services, GET BETTER.” Video link: https://youtu.be/i56Bg41bpsY
Results
With no paid media the #HopeStems brain flower gained national coverage, ignited conversations and helped change minds, with social media (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram) engagement rising by 90% during and after our launch. Over the 3 days our brain flower took over Herald Square, the average time each visitor spent at the exhibit was 8 minutes.
The Shatterproof community of families who have lost loved ones to addiction were particularly supportive of the floral brain. It’s anti stigma message, executed in a beautiful way that brought hope, was a welcome change to the often grim and judgmental messaging about addiction.