Mid May sees Legal & General launch a new initiative, called ‘No Red Card Offence’, which uses sport to raise awareness, educate, and encourage action around reducing the stigma of mental health in the workplace.
The cause campaign sees the brand roll out a campaign fronted by a team of sports endorsers who also act as mental health advocates with the aim of encouraging employees and employers to think that “talking about mental health is not a red card offence”.
These ambassadors include international rugby union referee Nigel Owens (who also fronts RBS 6 Nations sponsor Tissot’s 2017 activation (see case study), Team GB gold medal-winning hockey players Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh and former Premier League footballer Clarke Carlisle.
The campaign is timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week and builds on Legal & General Research which shows that just 4% of employees who have experienced depression and 5% who have experienced anxiety feel able to talk to their manager or superior about it, yet 78% of employers think their staff would be comfortable discussing such problems at work.
The campaign is spearheaded by a set of short films showcasing the importance of ‘creating an environment in the workplace that encourages open discussion and understanding about mental health’.
The initial campaign launch spot features rugby referee Owens.
The initiative is hubbed around a bespoke microsite – at www.legalandgeneral/notaredcard – which offers resources, information and additional content from the sports stars themselves.
The initiative sees Legal & General link with relevant expert organisations (including MIND, CLASP and City Mental Health Alliance) to link information on the site to services available to employees and employers alike.
It is further supported by social media executions across the brand’s own channels
Talking about mental health is @NotARedCard offence. It's a sign of great strength not a sign of weakness @landg_uk pic.twitter.com/pG2U6y0OAu
— Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) May 11, 2017
Proud to launch #NotARedCard campaign on #mentalhealth at work w/ @Nigelrefowens @h_richardson8 @katewalsh11 https://t.co/56Zxtv44WY #MHAW17 pic.twitter.com/GtL9I4D64D
— Legal & General (@landg_uk) May 12, 2017
Do you suffer with a mental health condition? Read our tips on addressing your own mental wellbeing #NotARedCard https://t.co/RfqFlDuSg2 pic.twitter.com/sDDAGvGk7w
— NotARedCard (@NotARedCard) May 12, 2017
We're proud to be walking with @claspcharity today! Have a picture with our #NotARedCard frames and show your support #MHAW pic.twitter.com/m0BPs7zrLF
— Legal & General (@landg_uk) May 13, 2017
and those of the sporting ambassadors.
Long week at work? Well, it's #NotARedCard to talk about it, and who better than someone who's working with you? @NotARedCard @landg_uk
— Clarke Carlisle (@CCforDD) May 11, 2017
“It’s important for me that people don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed if they experience a mental health issue. It’s not a sign of weakness, in fact accepting it and talking about it, is a sign of great strength,” said Owens commenting on the campaign.
“And when you do start talking to people you often find others who are talking about it or have experienced something similar, and you realise it’s quite common. I didn’t think twice about supporting this campaign.”
“The importance of encouraging people to be open about mental health issues and tackling the stigma attached with discussing them cannot be understated. This new campaign aims to help employees who may be suffering from mental health issues feel confident enough to approach their manager or a colleague for support, and to provide employers with guidance around how to spot the signs of an issue and so help that individual address it,” added Legal & General CEO Nigel Wilson.
“Legal & General is 100% committed to focusing on mental health as part of our health and wellbeing programme. Making positive changes to improve our mental and physical health is something we are passionate about. I am grateful to the many sports personalities who are supporting our campaign to help raise awareness of this and particularly to those who are sharing their own experiences of mental health issues. Throughout our campaign we will hear more inspirational stories, as well as what we at Legal & General are doing to continue to support our employees’ mental wellbeing.”
Activative Comment:
Some of the creative may feel like it lacks a little creative spark and polish, but the messages are clear and simple and the integrated approach – complete with genuinely useful tools, advise and links – must be admired.
This isn’t the first mental health cause campaign linked to sport in recent months.
Other notable initiatives have included the Heads Together campaign leveraging its official charity status at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon (see case study) and the Rugby Players Association’s #LiftTheWeight campaign (see case study) and we salute them all.
Links:
Legal & General
