Grey, Ad Council appeal to young adults to help fight mental illness

» Agency: Grey Worldwide in New York City in partnership with The Ad Council

» Theme: “What a difference.” Instead of aiming the campaign at those suffering from a mental illness, Grey and The Ad Council targeted 18- to 25-year-olds who may have friends with a mental illness. The ads were designed to demonstrate the importance of friendship in the recovery process.

» The Concept: Three commercials and several radio spots each talk directly to the friends of those with mental illness, asking them “What kind of friend will you be?” For example, one commercial pans through an empty apartment with a voice-over that says “It begins innocently enough. You don’t return a phone call. You break a date at the last minute … and soon your friend with mental illness realizes you’re avoiding them. But what if you knew that your friendship was the key to their recovery? Would you still lock them out of your life?”

» The Plan: The television and radio spots launched on Dec. 4 and will run on mainstream outlets for one-year. The campaign will run for three years total, but the campaign will be updated annually. In addition to the ads, Grey and The Ad Council designed a Web site www.whatadifference.org that provides more information on helping friends with mental illness.

» Creative Team: For Grey Worldwide — Tim Mellors , chief creative director;Rob Baiocco , creative director; Roger Wong, Paul Safsel, Brian Lefkovitz, art directors; Ben Seldon, Wayne Winfield, Mesh Maktal, copywriters; Eric Tao, producer; Clay Williams, director, Andre Pienaar, director of photography

» Background: Grey Worldwide is a large advertising agency, with more than 10,500 employees in 83 countries. The firm’s client roster has included high-profile companies such as BellSouth, Hasbro and Volkswagen. Nonprofit The Ad Council is the country’s largest producer of public service announcements.