'Your Push Is Power': Push-Up Challenge Campaign Links Exercise to Mental Health Support

An encouraging new The Push-Up Challenge campaign links the seemingly unrelated activity of a push-up with the ability to provide life-saving mental health and suicide prevention support, via Mediahub and 303 MullenLowe.

Live this week, the 'Your push is power' campaign aims to demonstrate that when people come together and take small actions like a daily push-up, squat or lunge -- at home or in public -- it can really make a significant difference and help save lives. It features Australians of all ages and abilities taking the time to push-up at work, home, waiting for the bus, walking to school or at the beach, calling for action with the tagline “Let’s push together and push for better”.

It will be seen nationally from now until the end of the annual 23-day event (June 26), across TV, OOH, radio, digital audio, display and social, and amplified through media partnerships and sponsorships. It is the first campaign developed by 303 MullenLowe and Mediahub since the agencies jointly won the account in an integrated pitch in 2024. The two agencies worked side by side as part of a full-service offering to develop and implement the campaign’s integrated strategic plan that supported creative and media together.

To help create a community around the 2025 event, media agency Mediahub developed an audience-engagement approach that leans into the influence of media personalities to rally Australians around the cause. Included is a national sponsorship with ARN radio hosts Will & Woody, plus news readers, teamed with traditional and digital channels to build mass awareness and to support delivering registrations.

Mediahub Perth general manager Kylie Macey said, “From the outset, our goal was to create more than just an awareness campaign, we wanted to help build a national movement around mental health. Through impactful creative and the partnership with ARN and the support of radio hosts Will and Woody, we’ll tap into a level of authenticity and influence that we hope will truly resonate with Aussies. This isn’t just about doing push-ups it’s about showing up, starting conversations, and making mental health a shared priority.”

Australia's largest mental health and fitness event, The Push-Up Challenge sees hundreds of thousands of Australians each year take up the challenge to complete a set number of push-ups that represent the number of lives lost to suicide in Australia in the most recent year of available data. The 2025 Challenge is asking participants complete 3,214 push-ups over 23 days. Participants are also provided with daily mental health facts, and have the opportunity to fundraise for one of the Challenge’s chosen mental health charities.

303 MullenLowe creative team Ellysia Burton and Sarah Cassell explained the creative approach, “We can all feel helpless when it comes to mental health. Whether it's supporting someone through a tough time, trying to help ourselves, or just wanting to improve the lives of others. 'Your push is power' was born from that feeling. It shows our audience that there is power in all the micro moments of doing The Push-Up Challenge.

Every bead of sweat, a red face, or a shaky arm, as part of doing 3,214 push-ups, really does make a difference. No matter who you are, or where you're doing it, we want to celebrate the grit and the gains.”

The Push-Up Challenge’s head of marketing and partnerships Phoebe Adams said while The Push-Up Challenge had raised more than $50 million for mental health programs and services and engaged over 700,000 people to push for better mental health since 2017, it was vital Australians fully understood the impact they could have by becoming involved again this year.

"The Push-Up Challenge is an iconic event that brings together hundreds of thousands of people every year, to get sweaty while also raising much-needed awareness and funds for mental health," she said.

"This year, for the first time, we've joined forces with agency partner 303 MullenLowe to create a truly memorable, feel-good campaign that we hope will bring even more participants to this much-loved event. We couldn't be happier with the result.”