Discover BBH Singapore’s #DealWithIt campaign for Calm Collective, promoting men's mental health awareness on International Men’s Day by breaking stigma and

Public Service

"Deal with it" - new campaign to break stigma around men’s mental health

Other Public Service Campaigns

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"Deal with it" - new campaign to break stigma around men’s mental health

Description

In 2022, BBH Singapore launched a compelling International Men’s Day campaign titled "Deal with it" in partnership with Calm Collective and Freeflow Productions, aiming to break the stigma surrounding men’s mental health in Singapore. This integrated Digital, Film, and media campaign targets men and their families, addressing the deeply entrenched societal pressure for men to appear emotionally strong and to internalize their mental health struggles. Insights drawn from a comprehensive survey of 1,000 Singaporeans revealed that 7 in 10 believe men are expected to be more emotionally resilient than women, with more than half of the men citing "learning to deal with it" as the primary reason they avoid seeking help, a sentiment particularly strong among younger men aged 16-24. Contrastingly, women reported cost as their main barrier to accessing help. The campaign film centers on a young man engaging in what appears to be a therapy session, only to reveal that the conversation is a form of self-talk, highlighting the ineffectiveness of bottling up emotions and forcing men to confront the harmful myth that they must deal with mental health challenges alone. Through social media and PR activations supporting the film, the campaign encourages men to break free from cultural stigmas and seek professional support without shame. Gaston Soto, Group Creative Director of BBH Singapore, emphasized the urgency of addressing this issue, noting that men in Singapore face higher suicide rates and need to realize they are not alone in their struggles. Sabrin Ooi, Founder of Calm Collective, echoed this sentiment, stressing the cultural shift needed to stop imposing unrealistic emotional expectations on men. With the tagline “Deal with it,” the campaign urges men to open up, emphasizing that true strength lies in seeking help and not facing mental health challenges in isolation. The film and its accompanying activations invite viewers to share the message and seek support at dealwithit.sg, reinforcing the campaign’s mission to normalize mental health conversations across Asia.

Credits

Client

Calm Collective

Agency

BBH Singapore, Freeflow

Executive Creative Director

Sascha Kuntze

Creative Director

Gaston Soto, Adeline Siow, Kenneth Foo

Art Director

Sixin Wu

Copywriter

Enkainia Lee

Account Management

Manavi Sharma, Angel Fadila

Strategic Planner

Amanda Lim, Cheryl Koh

Production House

Freeflow Productions

Director

Roslee Yusof

Producer

Jill Soong

Music

Fuse Adventures in Audio

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