• by Les Luchter , Staff Writer, Yesterday

Nineteen current and former marketing executives from leading brands have banded together to form an advisory CMO Council for Project Healthy Minds, which describes itself as “the leading mental health tech nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to mental health services across the United States.”

The heavyweight list includes execs from such brands as Hyatt, IBM, Pepsico, Walt Disney, UGG, Samsung, PayPal and Bose.

In the following Q&A, Pharma & Health Insider speaks with Phillip Schermer, founder and CEO of Project Healthy Minds, about the project and the CMO Council.

This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

Pharma & Health Insider: Why the need for a CMO Council at this point?

Phillip Schermer:  Project Healthy Minds is today serving half a million Americans, with the goal to scale into millions over the next decade. The challenge is, how do we scale without the marketing resources of a CPG brand or a consumer tech company investing millions into paid media? 

When you unite some of the brightest minds in a particular field, challenges that seem insurmountable become solvable. Mental health stigma is a perfect example: 65 million Americans experienced a mental health condition last year, yet 60% never access care.

That's not just a healthcare challenge, it’s a marketing and cultural one. We assembled leaders who understand how culture is shaped, how narratives shift and how people are moved to take action.

We’re applying world-class marketing expertise to a public health crisis. 

P&HI:  How did you choose the 19 CMO Council members?

Schermer: Marketing can move people to seek help in a way almost nothing else can. This leads back to the origin story for Project Healthy Minds. In 2017, Logic released "1-800-273-8255," a song named after the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The day it dropped, the hotline saw the second-highest call volume in its history. When Logic performed it at the VMAs, call volume spiked 50%, and when he closed the Grammys with it, volume jumped by 300%. One year later, the hotline reported call volume was up 30% year-over-year. 

I looked for marketers who understand that same power: the ability to shape what we talk about and how we talk about it, and who wanted to point it at mental health. We wanted people who would show up, push our thinking, and help us move the mission forward.

P&HI: How does this differ from your regular Advisory Council, which also has some marketing people on it?

Schermer: The Advisory Council brings together experts across healthcare, policy, academia, technology, philanthropy and marketing. Its role is to inform our overall organizational strategy.

The CMO Council is focused exclusively on marketing, communications, and cultural change: leaders at the top of their game who advise on campaigns, messaging, partnerships, audience growth, and opportunities across media, entertainment, technology, and consumer brands.

P&HI:  Does Project Healthy Minds have its own marketing exec?  

Schermer: Dan Hoffmann, a founding member of Project Healthy Minds, is senior advisor for marketing. He leads a lean team, setting overall marketing strategy, leading go-to-market planning for major initiatives such as the organization’s World Mental Health Day Festival and product launches, and providing senior counsel.

P&HI:  How will the CMO Council operate?

Schermer: The group meets regularly. At our first meeting, the list of next steps people committed to was about twice as long as the number of people in the room, which tells you how bought-in this group is.

They help us in three ways: advice on strategy, introductions that open doors, and building partnerships that let us reach more people. 

P&HI:  Does this mean more marketing-related activity from Project Healthy Minds?

Schermer: Absolutely. The Council gives us more firepower, more reach, and more credibility to execute campaigns at scale. We’ve seen that visibility creates momentum. When people hear about what we’re building, they often reach out with deeply personal stories and a desire to contribute. 

P&HI:  What kinds of campaigns have you run in the past, and how do you anticipate that now changing?

Schermer: From the beginning, our vision was to create the mental health equivalent of platforms like OpenTable, Resy, Expedia or Kayak — an aggregator that makes it easy to find trusted services when needed. 

At the same time, we recognized that access alone isn’t enough. People have to feel comfortable seeking help. That’s where culture comes in. We’ve partnered with musicians, Broadway stars, actors, content creators, academics and thought leaders to help normalize and destigmatize mental health and inspire people to seek help.

Our first Broadway campaign was with Daniel Radcliffe, when he returned to the stage in “Every Brilliant Thing,” the Tony-nominated production we served as impact partner on.

P&HI: How big a role do brand tie-ins play in what you do or will be doing?

Schermer: When the right partner engages authentically and is genuinely committed to the mission, those collaborations can move people in ways that are almost impossible to achieve through paid media alone. When done right, the impact can be extraordinary. We're grateful to our brand partners - Nespresso, PepsiCo, Lululemon, Equinox, Olly to name a few - who have joined us in this mission.