Published by isobel.regan@dontpanicprojects.com
Published Date 01.08.2024 
This all started with a question – how could we use our platform to help save a life? We uncovered a data point that has provided the foundation for the clubs work on promoting positive mental health over the last 18 months – the average age of our season ticket holders correlates to the age bracket most likely to die by suicide (45-49).
Ahead of our kit launch in 2022, the most anticipated piece of content we deliver each year, we had an innovative but bold idea. Tell supporters the kit was going to be released, create a captive audience, then surface a poignant video educating supporters on the alarming growth in suicide rates, and provide clear signposting. Supporters were hugely receptive to the concept, and from that point onwards, we knew we had to lead the way in this area.
Wider campaign approach
Knowing the importance of World Mental Health Day (WMHD), within Marketing, we began building concepts that we felt would deliver cut through, looking back at our activity from 2022, learning from its success and building on them as follows;
– In 2022, ahead of the fixture closest to WMHD, our front-of-shirt sponsor generously gifted their shirt sponsorship to Norfolk and Waveney Mind. This time, we went a step further and also engaged our sleeve and back-of-shirt sponsors, to deliver a full shirt takeover for Samaritans. All shirts were auctioned, with proceeds donated to Samaritans.
– In 2022, ahead of our fixture closest to WMHD, we delivered a fictional line-ups graphic, capitalising on the traffic from supporters waiting for the real line up, and instead surfaced a statistic on growing mental health rates. We invited our opponents that day, Preston North End, to take part and they accepted, ensuring this message would reach their supporters also. In 2023, we were inspired to think bigger, and so we invited all clubs in the league to take part. For clarity, this wasn’t a league initiative, this was a concept designed by Norwich City. To their credit, all clubs took part, ensuring this hugely important message reached supporters across the country.
#YouAreNotAlone
On WMHD itself, we delivered our #YouAreNotAlone video. The concept was devised and executed entirely in-house, from concept to edit. The simple but hugely impactful idea was to highlight two supporters who fall into high-risk age bracket, and try to dispel the myth that just because someone appears okay on the surface, they may not be. Two local actors (Martin and Marston) were sourced, one of whom is a steward at the stadium. All extras who appear in the video are full time members of Norwich City staff.
Shot with a fixed camera position, focusing on Martin throughout. We deliberately allowed Marston to leave the frame on numerous occasions, symbolically indicating that someone struggling with suicidal thoughts can often be unseen. We shot from 3pm-8pm to capture the natural change in lighting, alongside the strategic outfit changes, made it appear as if it was shot over the course of a season. Importantly, we were also in regular dialogue with Samaritans as we wanted to ensure we were portraying the most accurate description we possibly could, even down to the physical cues the actors delivered.
Results
Our kit launch video in 2022 achieved 300k organic views on Twitter, and we hoped of surpassing this, knowing each view increases the likelihood of reaching someone who may be struggling. However, what happened next surpassed all expectations. Across the clubs’ channels alone, the video has been viewed over 63million times but when combined with user generated uploads (across TikTok, X and Meta), the views exceed 300million in over 150 countries, gaining earned media in publications across Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. We also received support from the Prince and Princess of Wales, who wrote to the club directly praising the initiative, and received communication from the Prime Minister and countless celebrities/influencers, none more so than Roman Kemp who is a leading voice on this topic, who described it ‘the best bit of mental health awareness he’s ever seen’. UEFA also hailed it’s importance.
While the reach was incredible, we ultimately wanted to make a tangible difference to people’s lives. We were humbled to hear that the video was attributed to driving over 7500 inbound social messages to Samaritans, accounting to 63% of their total messages the week of the video’s release. Given the concept and edit were both delivered in-house, the only cost incurred was the day rate for the two local actors, and food for the crew. Remarkably, this takes the total cost of the campaign to <£1000. There cannot be many campaigns in history that have achieved such huge organic reach on such a small budget, which we are hugely proud of.
Following the release, we received a message from HMP Garph, a high security prison service in Lancashire, whose prisoners had a high propensity to self-harm. They had laptops in their prison but with no internet, and asked if we would be willing to share the original file for them to upload onto laptops. This was hugely inspirational, and so with guidance from Heads Up, we reached out and united the leading charities in this sector (CALM, Mind, Samaritans, Heads Up and Shout) to make the original file freely accessible to anyone who requested it. We’d seen the impact the video had and wanted to ensure there were no barriers in place stopping someone from seeing it. We set-up a designated mailbox, manned by staff, receiving over 800 requests for the video to date, from places of worship, schools, governments, and emergency services to corporate institutions globally.
The previous impact of the clubs work in this area already highlighted how important it was we continued to use our platform to educate supporters, but the impact of this campaign really cemented it. As a club, we’re now synonymous with this topic, and will continue to use our voice to help fight against the stigma of mental health.
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