Zombie apocalypse

What one creative campaign can teach us about messaging

Keith Haring believed that art was for everybody. He was an outspoken advocate and painter, renowned for his vibrant Pop Art, which consisted of bold lines, vivid colors, and simple figures to create iconic images, often depicting radiant babies, dancing figures, and barking dogs. I guarantee you have seen his work at some point out in the wild. Rooted in street culture and urban experiences, his work aimed to not only captivate visually but also carry a deeper purpose. For example, Haring harnessed his art as a tool for social activism, advocating for AIDS awareness and prevention during a time when AIDS was killing countless. His powerful imagery served as a novel vehicle for promoting safe sex and educating communities about HIV/AIDS.

Beyond his artistic social impact, Haring also brought his skill to commercial entities, which was yet another way to show his belief in the accessibility of art. He collaborated with brands like Vivienne Westwood and Swatch, extending the reach of art beyond galleries and enabling a much wider audience to engage with his creations. His distinctive style also transitioned to fashion, exemplifying the potential for cross-disciplinary collaborations to bridge the gap between fine art and commercial ventures.

I love telling the story about artists like Haring because they remind us of the important role that the arts and creativity play in shaping our culture and how design, and a well thought out strategy, can open up new opportunities for building awareness and creating social change in a community.

In fact, years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did something pretty creative too. You see, prior to COVID, most people didn’t know who the CDC was or what they did. While I don’t know who’s idea it was, the CDC created a toolkit for what would happen if there was a zombie apocalypse. Yes, you read that right folks, a zombie apocalypse.

On the CDC website they have a variety of pages dedicated to what to do in the face of an emergency. You can find all sorts of information on how to prevent something in the first place to general information that can be useful for a variety of audiences. Most people think of various viruses or even climate related events - how many people would think of a zombie apocalypse? Well, the CDC tapped into popular culture to help increase awareness around the role of public health. Heck, they even had a comic book for this work.

Now of course, when this campaign came out, there was political folly to be had. From the general public to politicians, at first people who didn’t know why the CDC was releasing this alert were a bit perplexed. Then there were the zombie purists who found the CDC strategy fell short of what they felt should be done to deal with an actual zombie outbreak. For example, some noted that the CDC’s plan lacked essential tactics like using shotguns, torches, vehicle improvisation, finding elevated positions, choosing between nighttime and daytime travel, or effective home defense against zombies.

I remember when this came out how impressed I was that the CDC had taken their core mission and used zombies to make it accessible to everyone. They leveraged creativity to help the public understand more about them and the unique role they play for public health. I’ve always been struck by this work and in the mental health field why we don’t do more creative things to help the public understand our importance.

Turns out, some people have done some uniquely creative campaigns, including the Ad Council. You can search for hours and find unique campaigns that try to raise awareness on why mental health matters. And the research in this space has shown that these efforts do raise awareness on the issue, help diminish stigma, and encourage help-seeking behaviors. A lot of the successful campaigns incorporate strategies such as using relatable stories to normalize mental health, offer accurate information, promote available resources, and get celebrities or influencers involved. Of course, campaigns don’t do much of anything if they don’t hit their audience, which is why they must use diverse communication channels, like social media and community events, to enhance their message.

It’s not the first time I have thought that mental health has a messaging problem. That maybe, just maybe raising awareness is not enough to move the needle. This is not to take anything away from all the great work these campaigns have been done - quite the opposite- it’s to highlight that I worry sometimes that the story we are telling, the tactics we are using, may not be the right one for mental health.

How many times have you seen a video or an ad of a person in crisis?

What about someone sitting with their head in hands in obvious distress?

How many commercials remind you that a medicine or therapy is the only way to get better?

While these things represent parts of our mental health, if we only talk about mental health when we show pictures of people down and out, how are we ever supposed to convince the public that mental health is more than just a problem to solve? Said differently, we run the risk of always conflating mental health with mental illness when we aren’t more careful with how we portray what it is. In the most general sense, mental health encompasses a broader spectrum of emotional, psychological, and social well-being, while mental illness most often refers to diagnosable conditions that can disrupt our lives. And herein lies the problem - most people don’t think of mental health as something positive - something foundational to our health - they immediately go to the illness side, which while super important, only tells part of our story.

I remember years ago seeing results of a survey where most people reported wanting to seek help for their mental health only when there was a problem. I can’t help but think that part of the reason people don’t want to seek help for their mental health until it has become a problem is how we have framed it in our communications and organizations. I mean have you heard of mental health promotion and prevention? Strategies and initiatives aimed at enhancing overall mental health and well-being and reducing the risk of mental health problems and disorders should be our standard approach not the rare exception.

OK, Ben, you have talked about Keith Haring, Zombies, and mental health, land this plane already.

My friends, more people are willing and able to talk about mental health now then ever. We have a chance to influence the narrative - to change our dialogue - to impress upon an entire generation that mental health is core to who we are and foundational to our health. It’s not just a problem to solve. We must embrace creative ways to tell this story, and find people to help us - like those in the arts community - so that we can keep pushing for more awareness and more understanding of our responsibility to address mental health through all sectors. We need to work to highlight the full continuum, from health to illness, and the supportive solutions that must be available for all along the way.

Let’s lean into our creative.

Haring did it.

The CDC leveraged our fascination with zombies to do it.

What can we do?