Alpha Salmon helps The Brand Shop spearheads suicide prevention campaign



STW-owned The Brand Shop has spearheaded a major new initiative designed to combat suicide in Australia which was launched this morning by Federal health minster Nicola Roxon.

The scheme, called R U OK?, has seen the agency team up with 12 sister STW companies to drive awareness ahead of a national action of action on 29 November.

The Brand Shop’s managing director Gavin Larkin launched the drive alongside author Graeme Cowan, who has battled severe depression, and the minister in Canberra. The government is currently in talks with STW over assisting with the scheme’s funding.

Larkin came up with the idea for a national day to tackle suicide after his father took his own life over ten years ago. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that around 2,500 Australians commit suicide each year.

“I’ve wanted to do something for years to honour my father who was a fantastic mentor not only in business but also in life,” Larkin told B&T Today.

“Suicide is such a massive issue, but no-one talks about it. It’s a taboo subject. The irony is that to tackle it, we need to talk about it – that’s the idea of the campaign.

“This isn’t just about those at risk – it’s about the average Aussie asking their mates ‘are you OK?’ We’ve got to drop the macho attitude about this.

“Unlike a lot of these kinds of things, we don’t want people’s money. We just want them to reach out to each other.”

After initially contemplating making a documentary on the issue last year, Larkin instead took the idea of a broader campaign to STW chief executive Mike Connaghan.

Sister STW agencies have since assisted with the drive, with Ikon handling strategy, Alpha Salmon creating a website, which launched today, and Yello undertaking brand design.

A three-year partnership deal with News Ltd has been struck, with an integrated campaign starting in November across the publisher’s print and digital assets. The deal also extends to Foxtel and MCN.

Campaign work, created by STW agencies, will be supplemented by editorial coverage in News Ltd publications. This will culminate on 29 November, with how-to guides on how to support friends and family.

In addition to federal government, News Ltd and STW support, The Brand Shop has partnered with various mental health organisations, including beyondblue, Headspace and the Black Dog Institute.

Larkin said that he visited the organisers of Earth Hour, the environmental awareness project spearheaded by WWF and Leo Burnett, for advice on R U OK?

“Earth Hour have been fantastic,” he said. “I asked them for advice and they were very helpful.

“I’d love to see R U OK? become as big (as Earth Hour) in Australia and also the world. That’s why we went to News Ltd. They said yes to the idea within the first 15 minutes of the meeting.

“In the first year we want to raise awareness, in the second year we want to see action and the third year will hopefully be about advocacy.

“I’d like to see it become a day of reunions between friends. Over time, I can see it maybe working for clients, but people are relatively cynical about that, so I want it to have its own energy at the moment.”

The R U OK? website can be found at www.ruokday.com.au.