Mid February saw Manchester United launch a new campaign, called ‘Ignored’, which sought to raise awareness of the vital role of language and of the impact it has on mental health.
‘Ignored’ is fronted by star players from the club’s men’s and women’s teams and it seeks to encourage supporters to overcome stigmas around mental health and to raise awareness that those who are suffering so often do so in silence as they feel ignored.
The initiative is part of United support for the ‘Heads Up’ (https://www.premierleague.com/heads-up) campaign, championed by the Duke of Cambridge, which aims to harness the influence and power of football to normalise mental health conversations.
The campaign was prominent across the Premier League through February with the, its clubs and players all supporting the initiative.
“Manchester United has a long-standing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion,” said Manchester United Group Managing Director Richard Arnold.
“As part of that commitment, we have a responsibility to raise awareness and tackle the important issues in society, such as mental health.
“We are delighted to be joining clubs across the country to support the Heads Up campaign and play our own part in getting the nation talking about mental health in a more considerate way.”
United’s campaign, which spans PR, digital, social and experiential, challenges fans all around the world to consider the impact of language and consider how using of words such as ‘psycho’ or ‘mad’ can alienate those suffering from mental health challenges.
Comment:
This initiative follows on from the club’s 2019 ‘Hatred’ campaign which took aim at racism and discrimination (see case study).
“This [new] film follows on from our HATRED campaign last year, which challenged racism and discrimination on and off the pitch. It sparked debate and discussion and we hope that IGNORED can do the same in the area of mental health,” added Man Utd’s Arnold.
Links:
Manchester United
http://www.facebook.com/manchesterunited
http://www.instagram.com/manchesterun…
Heads Up / Heads Together
https://www.headstogether.org.uk/heads-up/
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