ITV Encourages Connections with Return of Britain Get Talking Campaign

ITV and STV’s Britain Get Talking campaign will return for 2021 with a campaign to encourage people to stay in touch beyond the annual Happy New Year text.

Launching on New Year’s Day across TV, social and print, the campaign urges us to follow up on those pledges to catch up soon, with the words “One text a year, after the year we’ve had, just isn’t enough. So make a resolution, when it crosses your mind, or just because it’s Tuesday...a little chat or quick text is sometimes all it takes to help ease our stress, reduce our anxiety. To remind us, we’re not alone.”

Talking can ease stress and reduce anxiety, and connecting with others is one of the proven ways to increase wellbeing. This new campaign from the broadcaster aims to encourage Britain to continue to check in on those who might need it most. As with previous Britain Get Talking campaigns, it is supported by mental health charities Mind and YoungMinds.

The campaign includes a hero 60’ film, which uses genuine photographs and video messages sent by real people throughout the year and aims to remind us all to stay in touch beyond New Year’s Day. This will be followed by three new animated ads showing text conversations. Each one encourages us to reach out by text more often, whatever the excuse - even an accidental ‘bum dial’ can be a great reason to connect. The campaign will also include a print execution which will run across selected newspapers in the first week of January, and a pledge for social. The campaign was created by Uncommon Creative Studio.

Britain Get Talking was launched in 2019 by Ant and Dec during Britain’s Got Talent to encourage people to look after their mental health by staying connected. The campaign, supported by Mind, YoungMinds & SAMH, has become the UK’s most well-known mental health campaign. In 2020 Britain Get Talking featured a campaign which saw over a hundred celebrities call on people to stay connected and keep talking during lockdown. 6.4 million people reached out, in 15 million calls and 27 million texts, as a result. In October 2020, Ant and Dec once again used their platform in Britain’s Got Talent, this time calling on the public to donate to support our mental health helplines with the Help Our Helplines campaign.  

Susie Braun, head of strategy and communications for ITV Social Purpose said: “Many of us focus on our physical health in January, but our mental wellbeing is just as important. We launched Britain Get Talking because staying connected is good for us all, and after the year we’ve had, it couldn’t be more important. We hope this campaign will get millions committing to stay in touch in 2021.”