R U OK? Check-in
A MENTAL HEALTH CAMPAIGN VIA MESSENGER
To promote mental health awareness, confectionery brand KitKat partnered up with harm prevention charity R U OK? on a Messenger experience that helped increase campaign awareness.
STARTING LIFE-CHANGING CONVERSATIONS
R U OK? is a harm prevention charity that educates people on how to have conversations that can help others through difficult times in their lives. KitKat, a brand synonymous with taking a break, is a long-term partner and sponsor for R U OK? Throughout 2021, prolonged coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns and restrictions on in-person contact weighed disproportionately on the most isolated and vulnerable Australians, making the mission of R U OK? more crucial than ever.
THE GOAL: Boosting awareness and support for mental health
In partnership with KitKat, R U OK? wanted to encourage people to not just “Have a Break” but to take their break one step further to support the charity in starting conversations that could change a life.
DRAWING ON UNIQUE VOICES TO HELP HUMANISE MESSENGER CONVERSATIONS
Given the subject of conversation, the team wanted to bring a sense of authenticity, humanity and empathy to the overall experience in Messenger. So, the group collaborated with two R U OK? ambassadors, Casey Donovan and Rob Mills, to integrate their personal stories throughout the campaign.
The team used branded content ads featuring Casey and Rob to broadcast the partnership message and encourage active participation from the target audience of people in Australia aged 18–54. The ads clicked to Messenger, taking people straight to the experience.
KitKat and R U OK? also promoted the campaign in offline media, using a QR code to link viewers to the Messenger experience.
Built by Meta Business Partner IngeniousAI, the experience repurposed detailed online resources from R U OK? to support people that are having conversations with those in need. Depending on which ad people clicked, the experience opened in a section on Casey or Rob’s personal story, followed by the guides about when and how to ask people if they’re doing okay.
THE RESULTS
A brand lift study showed that KitKat and R U OK? successfully communicated their mental health awareness message and generated audience participation during the November 23–December 18, 2021 campaign.
“We’ve long seen people use KitKat bars as a catalyst to have a break, so by joining forces with R U OK? we hoped to encourage people to use these breaks to drive genuine conversations between people. We were inspired by how people and businesses are using Messenger to help people connect and were able to create a more immersive experience for our partnership message with R U OK? using this platform.”
— Joyce Tan
Head of Marketing Confectionery, Nestlé Australia
“One of our primary objectives is to equip people with the skills and confidence to be able to support anyone in their world who might be struggling with life’s ups and downs. Our Check In Chatbot collaboration with KitKat gave Casey and Rob an engaging way to share their personal stories and tips that encourage others to start meaningful conversations.”
— Gennie Sheer
Chief Operating Officer, R U OK?