While mental health and wellbeing is something to always be nurtured, the COVID-19 pandemic had made it particularly important to bring attention to what we can do to mitigate stress and prevent a mental health crisis. Queue the Bow Valley Wellness, Recovery & Preparedness Coalition. They wished to create a new online resource to do just that—and a marketing campaign to draw attention to it.

Through the strategic process, we came to understand that Bow Valley residents felt a strong connection to the beauty and landscape around them. To help our campaign resonate, visuals referenced this setting, and familiar highway and parks signs — with modified symbols and messages — to convey the feelings and thoughts of someone with a deteriorating mental state.

The visuals were carried across posters, postcards, print ads, video and social media assets—all directing the residents of the Bow Valley to the website. There, they will find a quiz to help them establish where they sit on the spectrum of mildly stressed to being in crisis, educational information on the pillars of mental health, and, most importantly, local resources for extra support.