Posted: Tuesday 20 July 2010
Mental health charity Mind has beaten stiff competition to secure pro-bono PR support from Band & Brown, the leading communications agency announces today.
More than 70 health and wellbeing charities applied to be considered for the pro-bono offer, which includes two per cent of Band & Brown’s profits from 2009 being put towards the charity’s chosen campaign.
Mind’s campaign – which was overwhelmingly selected by a Band & Brown staff vote from a shortlist of three applications – seeks to develop Mind's Taking Care of Business campaign and eradicate negative attitudes towards mental health in the workplace.
Band & Brown’s Head of Public Sector, Simon Francis, commented:
The judging panel was impressed with the high quality of Mind’s application, which set out clear communications and policy objectives to destigmatise mental health. We’re delighted to work with Mind to help them implement a step-change in how this sensitive issue is handled by employers and perceived by the public.
The response we received to our pro-bono offer was much higher than expected – which demonstrates how difficult many organisations find it to access vital communications support. For this reason, we are contacting every charity that applied to ensure we can find other ways of supporting their causes – at no cost or directing them to organisations like the Media Trust and the Sheila McKechnie Foundation.
Mind’s Head of Media, Alison Kerry, commented:
Mental health is an issue in every workforce, yet it’s often the white elephant in the room. Five million people say they are stressed in their jobs, with half a million believing work pressure is making them physically ill but employers often just don’t know how to support their staff and a great deal of stigma about mental health still exists.
Mind’s Taking care of Business campaign aims to transform attitudes to mental health at work and we are delighted to have the support of Band & Brown in achieving this ambition. We hope their expert advice will aid us in inspiring the nation’s workforce to get behind our campaign.
Previous beneficiaries from Band & Brown’s pro-bono scheme include leading education charity BeatBullying, international aid organisation Advocates for International Development and domestic violence charity RISE.
Notes
Band & Brown is a leading full service PR agency, with multi-sector experience in not for profit, consumer, corporate and B2B communications. We have a hard won reputation as an insight-led agency with experience of issues-led communications, strategic consultancy, reputation management and research-driven news.
Founded in 1991, Band & Brown is a top 20 London agency with a team of 80 people working from offices next door to London’s famous Camden Market.