Havas: "How are you?" really mean it

Talking about mental illnesses such as phobias, depression or eating disorders is difficult. People rarely talk about them openly. The Swiss Pro Mente Sana Foundation and the Health Department of the Canton of Zurich - in collaboration with the cantons of Schwyz, Lucerne and Bern and other health organizations - want to change this and have commissioned Havas Worldwide Zurich to run an awareness campaign to make mental illness a topic of conversation.

The poster-based campaign shows everyday conversational situations. In the headline, typical topics of conversation are mentioned in the same breath as taboo mental illnesses. This dissonance of terms makes it clear: whether it's apple varieties, the weather or depression, you can talk about anything in a casual way. Even about mental health.

The idea of everyday life is also anchored in the new umbrella brand. "How are you?" is a new take on a question that is asked thousands of times every day. Anyone who is asked should be able to speak freely. And those who ask should really mean it. But the campaign is not just about raising awareness. The web portal How-do-you.ch also offers tips and practical help on the most important questions relating to mental health.

The campaign will be presented on International Mental Health Day on 10.10.2014 and will be hanging in the cantons of Zurich, Schwyz and Lucerne from 13.10.2014. The participation of other cantons is planned for the following years.

Responsible at Pro Mente Sana: Marcel Wisler; ISPMZ: Roland Stähli, Annett Niklaus. Responsible at Havas Worldwide Zurich: Frank Bodin (overall responsibility), Axel Eckstein, Michael Kathe (Creative Director), Claude Eberhard (Digital Creative Director) Marietta Albinus, Denise Frech (Art Direction), Claude Schweizer, Davide Schenker (Graphics), Florian Birkner (Text), Caroline Ronzani, Nuria Büchi, (Consulting), Joachim Probst (Consulting Digital), Cara-Anne Specker (Art Buying).