Harry’s, Estee Lauder, Wellman, Coty and Freedom beer are among the brands who are backing a drive to address issues around men’s health – and mental health in particular, as UK Mental Health Awareness Week begins.
Research conducted by GlobalWebIndex on behalf of The Book of Man, the men’s media brand for The New Masculinity Movement, showed that 61% of 25-44 year-old men in the UK have felt lonely in the past year.
Almost a third (31%) of this demographic said they have experienced suicidal feelings at some point during that time, while 18% do not have someone they know they can talk to and be open with.
And of those men who had felt lonely in the past year, 41% said they would consider attending events aimed to help people deal with loneliness and isolation (men are 25% more likely than women to say they would definitely attend these events).
Accordingly, The Book of Man has created a series of mental health workshops, new campaigns encouraging physical health and getting back to nature, an interactive music experience and a special programming strand in the Shangri-La section of the Glastonbury Festival.
“It’s clear that UK men need a community and we are determined to build that and provide it for them,” said Mark Sandford, chief revenue officer, The Book of Man, adding that the organisation’s commercial partners share this aim and want to do more for men than just sell products.
“We have partnered with Estee Lauder and Professor Green to show that body image anxiety is something we should all be conscious of, Freedom Beer who promote ethical values for a new conscious man, Harry’s who continue to invest in good causes and research to help men – to name a few.
“It is our founding premise that we all have a responsibility – media, advertisers and agencies – to answer the needs of UK society and the audiences that are demanding change in behaviour,” he said.
The Book of Man is also partnering with CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), a mental health charity that has previously worked with Lynx and Topman to raise awareness of male mental health issues.
CALM’s Andrew Brown has spoken of the potential for win-win relationships: the charity can leverage a brand’s communications skills and customer relationships, while the brand can gain a positive cause association and conversation catalyst and probably a disruptive communications strategy that takes them out of a category rut.
Research conducted by GlobalWebIndex on behalf of The Book of Man, the men’s media brand for The New Masculinity Movement, showed that 61% of 25-44 year-old men in the UK have felt lonely in the past year.
Almost a third (31%) of this demographic said they have experienced suicidal feelings at some point during that time, while 18% do not have someone they know they can talk to and be open with.
And of those men who had felt lonely in the past year, 41% said they would consider attending events aimed to help people deal with loneliness and isolation (men are 25% more likely than women to say they would definitely attend these events).
Accordingly, The Book of Man has created a series of mental health workshops, new campaigns encouraging physical health and getting back to nature, an interactive music experience and a special programming strand in the Shangri-La section of the Glastonbury Festival.
“It’s clear that UK men need a community and we are determined to build that and provide it for them,” said Mark Sandford, chief revenue officer, The Book of Man, adding that the organisation’s commercial partners share this aim and want to do more for men than just sell products.
“We have partnered with Estee Lauder and Professor Green to show that body image anxiety is something we should all be conscious of, Freedom Beer who promote ethical values for a new conscious man, Harry’s who continue to invest in good causes and research to help men – to name a few.
“It is our founding premise that we all have a responsibility – media, advertisers and agencies – to answer the needs of UK society and the audiences that are demanding change in behaviour,” he said.
The Book of Man is also partnering with CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), a mental health charity that has previously worked with Lynx and Topman to raise awareness of male mental health issues.
CALM’s Andrew Brown has spoken of the potential for win-win relationships: the charity can leverage a brand’s communications skills and customer relationships, while the brand can gain a positive cause association and conversation catalyst and probably a disruptive communications strategy that takes them out of a category rut.
Sourced from The Book of Man; additional content by WARC staff
