What is Whatever Gets You Talking about?

Whatever Gets You Talking is a public interest campaign created for Seize the Awkward by Droga5 and released in the United States in 2021. The campaign centers on encouraging young people to check in with friends about mental health, using a film medium that features a diverse cast of well-known personalities such as Addison Rae and Meghan Trainor. By demonstrating that meaningful support does not require physical presence, the campaign aims to normalize mental health conversations and empower peer-to-peer outreach, especially relevant in a digital-first, socially distanced era.

What creative device does Whatever Gets You Talking use?

Whatever Gets You Talking employs the Ongoing Characters or Celebrities format, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. This approach leverages the cultural influence and relatability of recurring personalities and celebrities, including prominent figures like Addison Rae and mxmtoon, to drive brand recall and credibility. Rather than relying on a single narrative or symbolic motif, the campaign’s central creative mechanism is the collective presence of these well-known individuals, whose authentic engagement is designed to inspire action and make the message accessible to the target audience.

What is the campaign proposition for Whatever Gets You Talking?

The campaign proposition for Whatever Gets You Talking positions Seize the Awkward as a facilitator of open, approachable mental health conversations among young people. The brand’s message is that reaching out—by any means, whether texting, social media, or casual conversation—can bridge the gap for those struggling in silence. By targeting younger audiences who often feel awkward or uncertain about initiating these discussions, the campaign seeks to demystify and destigmatize mental health support, making it feel natural and accessible within the context of everyday communication habits.

How does Whatever Gets You Talking rank in Clapboard's archive?

Whatever Gets You Talking holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 73/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s curatorial standards.

Who are the competitors in Seize the Awkward's category?

In the public service mental health space, Seize the Awkward competes with organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which focuses on grassroots advocacy and peer-led support; The Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention specifically for LGBTQ+ youth; Mental Health America, which emphasizes early identification and preventative care; Bring Change to Mind, known for leveraging celebrity storytelling to reduce stigma; and Crisis Text Line, which delivers immediate, technology-driven crisis support via text, appealing to digitally native audiences. Each competitor brings a distinct approach to mental health advocacy and outreach.

This Seize the Awkward campaign enlists top young creators to normalize mental health check-ins through peer-led — Clapboard's Global Ad Archive.

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Whatever Gets You Talking - Seize the Awkward | Clapboard Ad Archive

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Description

Whatever Gets You Talking, the 2021 campaign from Seize the Awkward and Droga5, leverages the resonance of modern peer-to-peer communication to reframe mental health outreach for a digital-native generation. Recognizing the inertia and self-consciousness that often define conversations around mental well-being, especially among young people, the campaign recasts awkwardness itself as a creative entry point rather than a barrier, empowering viewers to initiate dialogue with friends in whatever manner feels authentic—text, call, meme, comment, or simple check-in. Informed by the public service market’s growing emphasis on destigmatization and accessibility, Seize the Awkward eschews the institutional voice in favor of cultural proximity, recruiting an ensemble of contemporary personalities, from Addison Rae to Meghan Trainor, to demonstrate how support can be delivered across every platform young audiences inhabit. The campaign’s creative device—which Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#8—Ongoing Characters or Celebrities—elevates its relevance and effectiveness, as the presence of these figures lends both credibility and relatability, fueling organic sharing and message recall. Eschewing dramatized stories or metaphor, Droga5 crafts a concise, visually lively film piece in which the celebrities model various ways of reaching out, driving home the insight that meaningful connection need not rely on physical presence—a premise underscored by the context of social distancing and evolving communication patterns. By folding in a broad spectrum of online creators, musicians, and influencers, the work signals a deliberate resistance to one-size-fits-all interventions, instead acting as a platform that validates all forms of outreach and reduces the pressure to be flawless when supporting someone in need. The direct call to action—visit seizetheawkward.org for tips and resources—anchors the campaign’s utility and ensures tangible next steps for its audience. With over 112,000 views, the film demonstrates traction in a crowded cause marketing landscape, further amplified by Ad Council’s established distribution network and longstanding reputation for issue-driven creative. The campaign earns 73/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. In a sector often slow to adapt to the cultural language of its audience, Seize the Awkward’s multi-celebrity strategy is a clear signal that mental health communications gain power and memorability when they meet young people where—and how—they already connect.