Talking about talking; brands, bravado and positive male mental health messaging

More than any other historically taboo area witnessing liberation in recent times is that surrounding male mental health. 

With loneliness and depression spiking as a serious side effect of Covid, governments, brands and health professionals were all encouraging us to be aware of our mental health and talk about depression, loneliness, sadness, anger and so on – with a specific focus on the male population.

Encouraging men to talk about their mental health is critical, and branding and promotion will go a long way to normalising male mental health conversations.

When you consider three times as many men as women die by suicide, with the 40-49 age bracket being the highest in the UK, it is a sobering topic and a taboo that must be overcome. Encouraging men to talk about their mental health is critical, and reinforcing positive messages in advertising, branding and promotion will go a long way to normalising male mental health conversations. Thankfully, the tide is turning, and brands of all kinds are stepping up and brokering the conversation.

Above: Nivea's recent campaign aimed to tackle male lonliness.

The UK’s most popular male-oriented TV channel, Dave, has been one of the early adopters. Since 2018, tune in and you will often find spots promoting CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) woven into their programming, as well as content on their website and social media.

More brands (especially those with a male-oriented audience) are using a bit of 'borrowed interest' in male mental health atop their promotional efforts. Whilst occasionally trite and somewhat unrelated to the brand, it is encouraging to see the taboo of mental health, especially male depression, loneliness and suicide, being tackled by established brands. Nivea can be commended for their recent Never Alone campaign, in which they partnered with Liverpool FC to target male loneliness. 

At one time a flag-flyer for toxic masculinity, chauvinism and misogyny, Lynx has recognised its place in modern society.

A special mention must go out to Unilever’s Lynx. At one time a flag-flyer for toxic masculinity, chauvinism and misogyny, Lynx has recognised its place in modern society and moved to use far more real-world male actors and models in their advertisements. Reflecting more positive body types and eschewing the ripped, muscular and tanned bodies of the past, Lynx will be going a long way to make teen males have better self-worth than they have done so in the past. Regardless of their motives, it can only help to normalise the conversation, even if many of these brands may have historically played up to the male bravado stereotypes that perhaps caused the taboo to deepen in the first place.