Desire Media produced Heart on My Sleeve’s national campaign, bringing raw stories and three powerful words to every screen.
I’M NOT OKAY
Three words. Simple, human, heavy. And according to Heart on My Sleeve, three of the strongest words you can say.
This is the message at the centre of the national campaign we produced with Heart on My Sleeve, Spark Foundry and UnLtd, urging Australians to wear their heart on their sleeve and speak up about mental health.
Why it mattered
One in two Australians will experience mental illness in their lifetime. More than 80% report stigma when they do. Burnout rates are climbing, silence is still the default and too many people are waiting to be asked before they speak up.
Heart on My Sleeve founder Mitch Wallis says it best, “You shouldn’t have to wait for someone to ask if you’re struggling. Saying ‘I’m not okay’ is one of the strongest things you can do.”
And that’s a cause we were proud to bring to life.
Honesty on screen
Our role was to bring this story to life on screen.
We handled the videography and full campaign production, working alongside Spark Foundry and UnLtd to deliver something that felt raw, direct and human.
We built a series of raw, unfiltered clips featuring everyday Australians and public figures – from media personalities like David Koch and Antoinette Lattouf to athletes like Kieran Foran and Layne Beachley.
We wanted to forego the scripts and polish to embrace personal honest dialogue about mental health.
Backed by the best
The campaign had scale. More than 21 media owners, over $900k in donated media, across TV, radio, cinema, outdoor, BVOD and digital.
That meant producing content versatile enough to run anywhere, but consistent enough to feel unmistakably Heart on My Sleeve.
The media partners include Channel Nine/9Now, Channel Ten/Paramount, Channel Seven/7Plus, Foxtel, SBS, ARN, Nova, SCA, NewsCorp, Mamamia, The Guardian, Teads, Yahoo, Val Morgan Digital/Cinema/Outdoor, S&J, QMS, Cartology, JCDecaux, oOh!media, Scentre Group and Jolt Media.
Taking better mental health national
Lots of campaigns encourage people to check in. This one flips it and puts the power in the hands of the person struggling. We’re proud to have helped Heart on My Sleeve spark a national conversation with the courage of three simple words.
Read more about the campaign here.