• by Larissa Faw , January 17, 2018

Ad Council and Droga5 are introducing a campaign aimed at preventing youth self-harm. While Droga5 has produced a number of cause-related campaigns, this is the agency's first suicide prevention project.

The “Seize The Awkward” campaign is designed to encourage young adults to open up about mental health.
And it features top YouTube personalities encouraging friends and family to talk to others about what is oftentimes a difficult conversation. 

The YouTube stars featured in the creative include Liza Koshy, Hannah Hart, Markiplier, and Tyler Oakley. Also featured is NFL Jacksonville Jaguars athlete Brad Nortman. They all have a personal connection to the issue of mental health. 

Here is a look at some of the work.

"While it’s critically important to inform and educate people about mental health and suicide, we knew that we needed to develop messaging based on research with the experts that was tested with young adults," says the Ad Council's Ellyn Fisher. "We’ve taken every care in our PSAs and the YouTubers spot to make sure that we are not discussing suicide and mental health in ways that can increase risk."

She adds that former YouTuber Logan Paul, who recently made news by filming and uploading video images of a suicide victim in Japan was never on the list of this campaign's potential participants. 

The digital video spots will be distributed across national media with commitments of support from Facebook/Instagram, YouTube, Upworthy, Buzzfeed and other platforms where young adults spend their time. Initiative has also donated their time and talent to reach out to media outlets for donated placement. There is additional social media support with the YouTubers leveraging their respective audiences. These resources direct viewers to the Seizetheawkward.org website where they can learn more about this issue.
The campaign's estimated audience reach exceeds 70 million, says the Ad Council.