Movember Helps Men Have Tough Conversations with Mates Struggling in Lockdown

Leading global men’s health charity, Movember, has today launched its ‘Take our Words for it’ campaign to support men during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Developed by creative agency MATTA, the concept is designed to compel people to engage with Movember Conversations, Movember’s new mental health tool to help to tackle issues of social isolation, stress and anxiety made worse by the global crisis.

The idea, ‘Take our Words for it’, is both literal and reassuring. The Movember Conversations tool gives users the right words to say to help a man who’s struggling, but the tagline also boasts a sense of encouragement to the help-giver: “You can do this, we’ve got the experience, take our words for it”. The execution is based on the all-too-common tech fails we have been dealing with as we communicate at a distance – everything from poor internet connection to dodgy camera angles. It explains that while Movember can’t guarantee your technology will connect, it can ensure your words will.

UNIT9 - Ad Age’s 2019 Production Company of the Year - worked with MATTA and Movember to bring the films to life, with director Simon Neal tasked with finding the delicate balance between humour and sincerity. All managed remotely, the actors not only took direction on performance, but also framing and set dressing.

The men’s health charity also worked with Bountiful Cow on the global media strategy, which focuses on being in the centre of the male mental health conversation during Covid-19. Focusing on the platforms for conversation and circulating around credible debate, the campaign targets the male help-givers, those with more capacity and resilience to reach out to a man they know who is having a tough time.

“Movember is committed to tackling the crisis in men’s mental health through its investment in early intervention and prevention programs. ‘Take our Words for it' is designed to make men aware that it’s okay to not know what to say, because Movember is there to guide you with its new online tool" said Juliette Smith, chief marketing officer at Movember. "We want to give people practical support when faced with a tough conversation and they just can’t find the right words themselves, and Movember Conversations does just that. During the pandemic, communication isn’t always easy. But while technology might let you down, Movember will make sure your words won’t.”

‘Take our Words for it’ launches on Thursday 21st May and will run for three weeks across major markets in UK & Ireland, USA, Canada and Australia.