Ad Council: Sound It Out
When talking to children, caregivers struggle to move any conversation beyond, “I’m fine.” Often, children just don’t have the words. They struggle with finding the language to articulate their complex feelings, particularly in Black and Hispanic communities due to a lack of access and equity.
Ad Council and Pivotal Ventures asked us to develop a campaign that furthered this dialog around mental health. So, we created a program using a powerful and emotive language that caregivers and children both already speak fluently—Music.
Because when you can’t find the language, find the lyrics.
We partnered middle-school aged kids and their caregivers with a diverse group of musical artists. They sat down and had honest and emotional conversations with the presence of mental health experts like Dr. Jess, Dr. Alfie & Therese Kempf.
Those real conversations were turned into songs and behind the scenes films.
The Sound It Out Together website hosted the album (also available on Spotify, Tidal & Apple Music), and was a hub for tools and conversation guides to help caregivers navigate these difficult discussions.
One song even became a music video.
Print and OOH, plus media partnerships and local community-based efforts rounded out the campaign.
