Bryght Young Things Teams with Influencers & the Ad Council for Seize the Awkward
Influencers are increasingly using their platforms to talk about mental health — both the pressures of being online as creators and as consumers. What’s more, research shows that teens and young adults are most likely to turn to friends when facing a mental health challenge, not parents or caregivers. So when these creators speak up, they can do a lot of good for their fans by helping to destigmatize the issue.
That’s why influencer duos Jade and Jadah and the sisters Alexa and Danielle Hendricks are the latest to team up with the Ad Council’s Seize the Awkward effort to show how an easy “how are you?” check-in can open the door for larger conversations about mental health. STA is co-sponsored by the Ad Council and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
The influencers will be appearing in social media videos produced by Bryght Young Things and directed and edited by Henry Busby. The clip for Jade and Jadah (see it here) features the pair having an authentic and simple conversation between themselves, and doing so in a way that’s clearly therapeutic for them and other young adults (or creators) like them.
The goal of Seize the Awkward, according to the Ad Council, is to normalize talking about mental health while providing tips for creators and young adults to navigate difficult conversations about the topic. The takeaway is that the power of simple communication to drive meaningful changes in the lives of young people shouldn’t be overlooked.
In the past, Seize the Awkward has worked with countless celebrities and creators, including recording artist Billie Eilish, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and reality TV personality Bryan Arenales, among others, to offer young people conversation starters and other tools to help them check in on their friends. The video featuring Alexa and Danielle will go live in late February.
The Howler reached out to Heidi Arthur, Chief Campaign and Program Officer at the Ad Council, to dig a bit deeper into this new effort for Seize the Awkward. Here’s what she had to say.
So where will these videos live, besides on the pages of the influencers featured? Will there be any other digital placements for these videos?
Heidi: Yes, the videos will live on their channels as a way reach their highly engaged young adult audiences, and are also on Seize the Awkward’s Instagram channel. We’ve already seen amazing engagement and inspiring comments on Jade and Jadah’s video and are looking forward to Alexa and Danielle’s.
Were these scripted, or largely unscripted? How involved were the creators themselves in the video’s content?
Heidi: We wanted to showcase someone checking in and following up with a friend who seems down or not like their usual selves. We leaned on the creators’ real life experiences and had them lend their authentic voices to our message. Rather than use a script, during pre-production we asked a series of questions to each creator to identify real experiences where they’ve checked in on one another and how it was received.
How were the influencers for this round of ‘Seize the Awkward’ videos chosen? How involved were they in the actual production of the videos themselves?
Heidi: We looked for influencers who mirrored our audience of young adults between the ages of 16 and 24, and embodied the friendly, approachable attitude that’s central to our campaign. These creators have strong existing relationships with one another, are relatable and make their audiences feel comfortable. This is critical when we’re modeling mental health check-ins and encouraging viewers to do the same.
How did the Ad Council come to choose Henry Busby of Bryght Young Things to direct these videos? Has he worked on this campaign previously?
Heidi: Yes, Henry directed a previous campaign activation for Seize the Awkward that we launched in November with “Love Island USA” Season 7 winner Bryan Arenales. We leaned into the show’s “I got a text!” catchphrase by having Bryan respond to a series of text prompts to model how checking in with friends can be as simple as sending someone a message or video chat. Henry specializes in unscripted content and was able to authentically capture Bryan’s connection to the campaign, explaining how his friends have supported his mental health journey.
For this effort, we knew we wanted to have a similar look and feel with another unscripted production designed for social-first audiences, so when we were considering the right partner for this project, Henry and the team at Bryght Young Things were at the top of our list.
What’s the overriding strategic POV that these STA videos are meant to convey? Any idea as to what impact they’re having with their target audience?
Heidi: Audience research shows us that young people feel that it’s not always easy to know how to support your friend when they’re struggling with their mental health. They might be afraid of saying the wrong thing or being too intrusive. Our research also shows that young adults are most likely to turn to their friends when they’re going through a tough time. We want to make sure those friends are equipped to start and guide that conversation about mental health if they notice something is wrong.
With these videos, we set out to demonstrate that even if it feels awkward, a small “hey, you don’t seem like yourself lately” or “how are you” can make a major difference in someone’s life. It’s so valuable to have influencers, people with a large online presence, to model these kinds of conversations because it shows how real and achievable it can be to “Seize the Awkward.”
CREDITS
Production Company: Bryght Young Things
DP/Director: Henry Busby
Editor: Henry Busby
Producer: Steve Cozzarelli
Second Cam Op: Tyler Haft
1st AC: Manny Rodriguez
Gaffer: Tyler Mielke
Key grip: Brandon Han
Sound mixer: Enrique Larreal
Wardrobe assistant: Quinn Herbert
PA: Alex Centeno
