ARCHIVEBetterHelp Reframes Therapy as Something Men Actually Want
BetterHelp's 'Want' is a 60-second narrative film released in Canada in October 2021 that opens inside what appears to be a therapy session before revealing a humorous misunderstanding about food, using that tonal pivot to make professional mental health support feel approachable and desirable rather than clinical or stigmatised.
The campaign addresses men's mental health directly, positioning BetterHelp as an accessible and convenient platform for adults in Canada who feel the internal pull toward seeking help but have historically held back. Rather than leaning on clinical language, the creative centres on a single, resonant word — 'Want' — to articulate the personal desire that precedes action. That framing transforms the act of starting therapy from an admission of struggle into an expression of self-awareness, a distinction that carries considerable weight for the demographic the campaign targets. As reported by shots.net, creative director James Imrie acknowledged that men have historically been hesitant to reach out for help with their mental health, and the campaign was designed explicitly to meet that hesitation with warmth and wit rather than earnestness alone.
In Canada, where demand for accessible mental health care has grown markedly in the years surrounding the pandemic, BetterHelp deployed 'Want' across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok, according to reporting by trendhunter.com and shots.net. The multi-platform distribution strategy reflects the brand's understanding that reaching men in Canada requires meeting them on the platforms they already inhabit rather than relying on traditional healthcare advertising channels. Produced by Toronto-based Untitled Films, the campaign carries a distinctly Canadian production identity while speaking to a universal emotional experience. The Clapboard Score for 'Want' stands at 63 out of 100.
ARCHIVEBetterHelp targets a demographic that the mental health sector has long found difficult to engage. As James Imrie stated, as reported by shots.net, men have been historically hesitant to reach out and ask for help with their mental health, though the creative director also noted that more and more men are beginning to open up about their feelings as long-held stigmas start to fade. That observed cultural shift provides the strategic foundation for 'Want': the campaign does not attempt to dismantle stigma through argument but through identification, showing a man in a recognisably anxious moment and making that moment feel safe enough to laugh at.
The online therapy services market was estimated at approximately 945 million US dollars globally in 2021, growing at a compound annual rate of around 28 percent through 2027, according to Verified Market Research. In the same year, digital mental health startups attracted approximately 5.5 billion US dollars in global investment, according to research published by PMC via the National Institutes of Health. In Canada, the appetite for accessible, low-barrier mental health services accelerated through the pandemic period, creating a receptive environment for a digitally distributed campaign aimed squarely at adults who might otherwise never walk into a therapist's office.
BetterHelp's closest competitors in the Canadian and broader North American online therapy market include Talkspace and Amwell, both of which have pursued their own digital-first positioning. BetterHelp differentiates itself through the breadth of its platform, its affiliate-driven growth history, and — in the case of 'Want' — a creative strategy that prioritises emotional resonance over feature comparison. Founded in 2013 by Alon Matas and Danny Bragonier, and acquired by Teladoc in 2015 while retaining its brand identity according to Wikipedia, BetterHelp entered 2021 as an established player with the infrastructure to support a campaign built on cultural credibility rather than introductory awareness.
Untitled Films, the Toronto-based production company, produced 'Want' with director Rebecca Applebaum leading the creative execution. The film is structured as a conventional therapy session — measured pacing, close framing, the visual grammar of professional care — before a tonal reversal exposes a comedic misunderstanding about food that recontextualises everything the viewer has just witnessed. That structural decision is precise: it earns the audience's trust through sincerity, then rewards it with laughter, leaving the underlying message about emotional vulnerability intact and unexploited.
Julia Lederer wrote the script, and the dual credit of Applebaum directing and Lederer writing, as documented by shots.net and Little Black Book, suggests a collaboration built around character truth rather than advertising convention. James Imrie, serving as creative director, described the execution in terms that foreground feeling over concept, stating that Applebaum and the team at Untitled Films did an amazing job capturing the feeling of existential anxiety that plagues so many of us, as quoted by shots.net. That framing — existential anxiety as a shared human condition rather than a clinical diagnosis — defines the creative register of the entire film.
Lead performer Izaak Smith carries the central role, with Darrel Gamotin also credited, as noted in the Clapboard archive record. The casting supports the campaign's ambition: the performances need to hold sincerity and comedy simultaneously without letting either quality undermine the other. The 60-second runtime is tight enough to sustain that balance across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok without overstaying its welcome on any platform. In Canada, where the production was grounded through Untitled Films' Toronto operation, the film carries a local authenticity that distinguishes it from imported healthcare advertising that tends to read as generic across markets.
No independently verified campaign performance data for 'Want' beyond the Clapboard platform archive is publicly available. Within the Clapboard archive, the campaign has recorded 4,870 views, 35 likes, and 4 comments since its submission, as documented in the Clapboard archive record. A review by Jamie Madge published on shots.net provides external editorial recognition of the work, representing a meaningful signal of industry regard for a campaign that did not publicly disclose media spend, reach figures, or conversion outcomes.
Structurally, the campaign demonstrates several markers of effectiveness that are identifiable without proprietary data. The combination of a recognisable social tension — men's reluctance to seek mental health support — and a comedic reversal creates a format well suited to social sharing, particularly on TikTok and Instagram where the unexpected ending rewards repeat viewing and organic amplification. The multi-platform release across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok, as reported by trendhunter.com, maximises the probability of reaching Canadian men at different points of engagement and intent.
James Imrie stated, as reported by shots.net, that BetterHelp is excited to play a part in continuing to break down stigmas while continuing to provide accessible therapy — a framing that positions 'Want' not as a standalone execution but as part of a sustained brand mission in Canada. That continuity of purpose strengthens the campaign's long-term brand-building function even in the absence of short-term conversion metrics. The Clapboard Score of 63 out of 100 reflects a campaign with clear creative and strategic coherence that is modestly constrained by limited public documentation of outcomes and production credits beyond the core team.
BetterHelp's 'Want' is a 60-second narrative film released in Canada in October 2021. The film opens inside what appears to be a therapy session before a comedic reveal reframes the scene entirely. Produced by Toronto-based Untitled Films and directed by Rebecca Applebaum, it targets men's mental health stigma through humour and emotional honesty.
Rebecca Applebaum directed 'Want' for BetterHelp, with Toronto production company Untitled Films handling production. Julia Lederer wrote the script and James Imrie served as creative director. The campaign was released in Canada in October 2021 across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok, as documented by shots.net and lbbonline.com.
BetterHelp targeted men because, as creative director James Imrie stated according to shots.net, men have historically been hesitant to seek mental health help. The campaign launched in Canada in 2021 as cultural stigma around male vulnerability was beginning to ease, creating an opening for a message built on humour and self-recognition rather than clinical urgency.
BetterHelp distributed 'Want' across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok in Canada, according to reporting by trendhunter.com and shots.net. The multi-platform approach reflected BetterHelp's strategy of reaching adult men within the digital environments they already use rather than relying on traditional healthcare or broadcast advertising channels.
BetterHelp's 'Want' campaign received a Clapboard Score of 63 out of 100. The score reflects the campaign's strong creative concept and clear strategic focus on men's mental health in Canada, balanced against limited publicly available performance data and the absence of independently verified outcome metrics for the October 2021 film.
BetterHelp's 'Want' distinguishes itself from competitors such as Talkspace and Amwell by foregrounding emotional humour rather than platform features or clinical credentials. Where rival campaigns in the Canadian and North American online therapy market tend toward earnest testimonial formats, 'Want' uses narrative misdirection to lower a viewer's defences before delivering its message about accessible therapy.
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