• by Les Luchter , December 17, 2024

As the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs prepare for a quarter-final New Year’s Day matchup in the expanded college football playoffs, three of its players have debuted in the Ad Council’s first localized offshoot of its 14-month-old “Love, Your Mind” mental health campaign.

One player and the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, whose chance of making the NFL playoffs improved with last night's victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, also star in the campaign, which has received financial support from the Georgia-based Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. Huntsman Mental Health Institute remains lead partner for the overall initiative.

Georgia ranks third in prevalence of mental health conditions among all U.S. states, according to nonprofit Mental Health America.

“What do you do to keep your head in the game?” asks Falcons coach Raheem Morris in a :30 PSA that also features Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and University of Georgia safety Malaki Starks, linebacker Jalon Walker and defensive back Dan Jackson.  “Everyone has a ritual, that small thing we do to keep us focused,” says Robinson.

An extension of the seven-month-old national “The Rituals We Share” iteration of “Love Your Mind,” which partnered with 11 major pro sports leagues and organizations and has run during such events as the  World Series, WNBA playoffs, NBA draft and NASCAR races, the campaign’s pro bono creative comes from the Walton Isaacson agency, with RadicalMedia on board for production. The original “Love, Your Mind” idea was created by FCB.

Prior to the Georgia effort, other “Love, Your Mind” activations have been directed toward such groups as Black men, Hispanic men, the LGTBQ+ community, the faith community, and rural Americans.

The Georgia PSA, which the Ad Council says is the first in a series to continue through 2025, will appear in donated digital and broadcast TV media across the state.

Since October 2023, the national “Love, Your Mind” campaign has driven more than 1.2 million visits to LoveYourMindToday.org for free mental health resources, with "The Rituals We Share” national PSA series alone amassing over 21 million online video views, the Ad Council says.

“Love, Your Mind” is part of the Ad Council’s seven-year $65 million Mental Health Initiative, announced in 2022.

The Council notes that, with more than a billion dollars’ worth of media donated to its many efforts each year, it is “considered one of America’s top 50 advertisers.”