Are you okay 👌🥺?

In a matter of months, the world 🌏 and our behaviors have dramatically changed. In the midst of a pandemic and protests in our streets, our physical and mental health is a top priority: maintaining it, protecting it and (for the physically infected and emotionally affected) rebuilding it.

The restrictions, isolation and emotional turmoil bring the potential for those already struggling with mental health issues to have an even harder time ⏰ - while also impacting those who previously have not suffered from mental health issues.

While true that mental health is an ongoing struggle and not a one-size-fits all-solution, marketers have an opportunity to provide offerings to support those in need during this time. Still, marketers wading into these waters 💦 need to understand what mental health is and the ways in which brands can provide meaningful support beyond virtue signaling.

A clutch of brands across categories are creating mental health related content including e-consultations with psychologists, stress busting activities and multiple relaxing techniques across their digital and social media platforms reaching out to millions of consumers.

Advertising experts believe that as GenZ and millennials face the greatest challenge of their generations, they will remember those companies that made a difference to their lives and helped them combat the pandemic. Such meaningful initiatives will create brand love 💕 and loyalty which no paid promotions can ever achieve.

Provide utility.

It does not matter what type of product you are; every brand is now, or needs to be, a service offering. We are now, as marketers, all in the service industry when it comes to what we deliver to consumers via our marketing and media tactics.

Join the conversation 🗣️, but enlist experts to help.

Mental health is no longer 🙅‍♀️ an untouchable topic, and brands can be a part of the conversation. The more that we talk about mental health and wellness, the more comfortable these conversations become.

While nobody expects brands to be mental health experts, they will expect brands to enlist those experts who offer proper understanding of the nuances and range of needs, and the spectrum of coping mechanisms. Enlisting the right partner to help navigate these difficult conversations is the core of any successful strategy.

Educate and inspire ✨.

By embracing emotional intelligence - the ability to understand, manage and use emotions in positive, forward-moving ways - brands can help educate and empower people who struggle to find proactive, productive ways of managing their mental 🧠 health.

For example, to support those in need of mental and emotional release during this tough time 🕒, LooksLikeYouNeedIceland.com lets site visitors release their pandemic-driven screams 😫- and then broadcasts those screams from speakers 📣 into the picturesque Icelandic wilderness, keeping the country top of mind while providing a fresh outlet.

HDFC bank, for instance, has been conducting radio 📻 show on Big FM with a psychologist on anxiety and working from home 🏠 apart from hosting regular sessions on meditation, yoga 🧘‍♀️, fitness 🏋️‍♀️, and zumba 💃🕺. The bank has also partnered with author and depression survivor Shaheen Bhatt who is featured in #NoFrownLockdown video series where she shares her personal tips to tide over lockdown blues. It is also leveraging art therapy by running 'The Art Project' as a de-stressing activity asking consumers to submit art works entries and a chance to win prizes 🎁.

Online grocery platform Big Basket recently conducted Facebook live with Bengaluru based psychologist Paras Sharma of The Alternative Story on ways to stay motivated and positive during lockdown. 

Apart from hosting Facebook videos 📹 on emotional wellness with a psychotherapist, health insurance firm Max Bupa has also partnered with Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty to create quick yoga asana videos on Facebook and Instagram to stay active and beat 🥊 stress.

Max Healthcare chain of hospitals have also been using social media to disseminate tips to cope with pandemic anxiety and busting various myths around coronavirus which often lead to panic 😰 and anxiety.

Start by actively listening and applying consumer feedback to your marketing initiatives and campaigns. And, most importantly, commit to supporting 💪 your consumers throughout their struggles and providing tangible support and solutions to help them live better, healthier lives.

How is your business doing currently during this pandemic? We believe that most of us are trying to adopt and also to adapt to the current norm and lifestyle despite the difficulties faced 😫. Do not 🖐️ fret! We at AK47™️ are here to lend you helping hand to assist you to get your business back on track. Talk to us now if you would like to get professional marketing advices to solve your business problem 😉😘. 

References:
Whitney Fishman Zember, Sept. 3, 2020, 3 ways brands can support consumers’ mental well-being
Saumya Tewari, 13 May 2020, Brands create mental health content to help consumers deal with pandemic anxiety