Overview

In 2020, the community in the Medicine Hat region was undergoing a mental health crisis. In response, the Medicine Hat Health Foundation (MHHF) wanted to raise funds to provide greater support for their hospital's mental health facilities and associated well-being programs.

Challenge

There is a stigma around discussing mental health directly, with many suffering in silence or trying to ignore the issue for themselves or others rather than seek help. Breaking down this barrier to create honest, open, and impactful discourse while simultaneously motivating people to donate to a charity during a cost-of-living crisis required substantial craft, nuance, and strategy.

Insights

The "I'm not fine." campaign addressed the stigma around discussing mental health head on. An eye-grabbing mosaic of words hid the campaign's true message, inviting both conversation and action. We then translated this design across OOH, social media, and other digital spaces calculated for maximum impact.

Results

The local community rallied around the concept. Across Canada mental health organizations, politicians, community leaders, and influencers joined the discussion on social. "I'm not fine." drove MHHF's web traffic for 2021 up substantially, and helped to contribute to MHHF’s most successful fundraising year in their history (prior to 2023).