Public Health England enlisted Venatus through media agency MG OMD, to promote their 'Better Health - Every Mind Matters' campaign nationwide; supporting young people in caring for their mental health and wellbeing amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a recent survey, Public Health England found almost half of adults (49%) felt the COVID pandemic negatively impacted their mental health and wellbeing, with those aged 18-34 being more likely to report it had caused them more stress (51%) and made them feel more lonely (43%).
In response, Public Health England launched their ‘Better Health - Every Mind Matters’ website, offering advice and personal stories from young people regarding mental health. To raise awareness amongst young gamers, Public Health England partnered with Venatus via media agency MG OMD, to ensure young people were informed on the services available to them.
The Mental Health Matters campaign aimed to reach teen audiences aged between 13-18, who had been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.
Gaming environments were identified as an area teens used to gain a sense of control, when there was little elsewhere.
Smartphones had been a lifeline for young audiences across un-ending lockdowns and felt like the most personal device to deliver the campaign.
As public health campaigns often go unheard playing in the background on expensive TV placements, MG OMD aimed to achieve high levels of engagement for their campaign.
With this in mind, we opted for our highly engaging reward video format, which typically sees high view-through rates as players must watch the entire video ad before receiving their in-game reward.
The video creative included 30-second stories from various people struggling with mental health, adapted from longer format video to better suit mobile audiences. These videos offered advice on what teens could do to help themselves feel better, such as tips on protecting themselves on social media and asking for help.
A click-through link offered access to the Every Mind Matters webpage, which offered further video content on mental health and resources where teens could find support to help with mental health issues.
In early 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign was launched across a selection of our highly popular EA and Rovio mobile apps, identified as most popular with teen audiences, such as Plants vs. Zombies and The Sims.
By targeting popular mobile games Public Health England grabbed the attention of young gamers evading boredom throughout lockdown. The campaign resonated with its intended audience, achieving a view-through-rate of 91% and ensuring young people were well informed of the resources available from the 'Every Mind Matters' webpage.
91%
91%
"We really enjoyed working with Venatus throughout this great campaign. We were able to connect to the target audience at scale through Venatus's diverse mobile gaming portfolio and deliver a video campaign that far exceeded the benchmarks and expectations set out. We would love to work with them again."
Demos Flouri
Digital Account Director
MG OMD
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