Beyond the Scoreboard: Leveraging Sports Platforms to Destigmatize Mental Health

Julie Weitzner Youamp8217ll be speaking at the upcoming ANA Media Conference amp8220Love Your Mindamp8221 taps into the cultural power of sports to drive mental health action What was the strategic unlock that helped your team turn highattention gameday environments into genuine behavior change momentsDJ Perera Sports represent a unique place in the hearts and minds of the American public We saw this clearly in 2024 when we first partnered with 11 professional sports leagues and organizations to share their mental health rituals with fans nationwide We learned that when athletes share their own mental health practices it normalizes the conversation inspiring others to do the same Thatamp8217s why weamp8217ve extended our amp8220Love Your Mindamp8221 mental health campaign to harness the influence and cultural reach of sportsNow weamp8217ve scaled our approach to bring in even more partners and incorporate ingame activations athlete celebrations national PSAs amplification from media partners and leagues and more Our most recent debut of the amp8220Love Your Mindamp8221 Playbook in November represents a powerful coalition of 17 professional athletes together with key media partners and top brands as part of a multiyear initiative to encourage people to make a game plan for their mental healthThereamp8217s something for everyone in the world of sport The game the fandom the camaraderie By showing up in these highly engaged environments we are able to bring attention to mental health in an organic way for the communities who are already so leaned inWeitzner How do you break through in todayamp8217s crowded sports media landscape where fans are inundated with content 247 What made amp8220Love Your Mindamp8221 stand outPerera We take a lot of pride in convening bestinclass partners to tackle the toughest of issues at the Ad Council and thatamp8217s one of many factors that helps amp8220Love Your Mindamp8221 stand out To reach audiences with the resources they need we knew we had to collaborate with the leaders in the sports ecosystem who share our mission of changing the conversation around mental healthBy working with trusted voices from the world of sports weamp8217ve been able to integrate seamlessly into a familiar ecosystem for fans with a new message thatamp8217s truly for them From champion athletes to brand partners like Ally Financial ATampampT Bank of America Delta Air Lines and JPMorgan Chase the campaign has started showing up at marquee sporting events and garnering the support of major media partnersIn October for example Ally Financial sponsored a custom quotLove Your Mindquot car wrap and helmet for NASCAR driver Alex Bowman at the Las Vegas Speedway They teased the new car reveal to fans on social media and NBCUniversal broadcasters gave the partnership a shoutout during the race encouraging viewers to check out the resources at LoveYourMindPlaybookorgWeamp8217re excited for even more impactful live sports moments like this one that bring together brands athletes and media to really break through with fansWeitzner Unlike brand marketers who plan with commercial objectives the Ad Council brings together media companies platforms agencies and talent purely in service of social impact Can you share how that unique vantage point sitting at the intersection of public service crossindustry collaboration and donated media shapes your approach to building campaignsPerera For over 80 years weamp8217ve operated in this special place across industries and itamp8217s that unique position that enables our ability to make a real impact Our campaigns follow the data and insights to identify a need and then take a holistic approach to tackling complex issues both from within our own organization and with the support of our generous partners on our Board of Directors and across the industry The amp8220Love Your Mindamp8221 Playbook is a prime example of how instrumental that network of support can be in scaling our work in a strategic wayThereamp8217s a huge network of catalysts behind the campaigns that everyone sees From mental health and gun safety to wildfire prevention and skillsfirst hiring our campaigns are fueled by more than donated media The support of our advisors creative agencies philanthropists corporate and tech partners give us the unique ability to address pressing issues beyond a onesizefitsall approach This 360amp176 point of view is how weamp8217re able to reach the American public effectively and itamp8217s how weamp8217ll continue to drive impact for years to comeWeitzner Looking ahead what innovative trends are you most excited about in the Media IndustryPerera GenAI has impacted how we operate in every way and Iamp8217m eager to see the industry continue to evolve and meet the moment Website traffic is dropping dramatically in the US as zeroclick searches and AI summaries become the standard With AI becoming the new discovery layer marketers and brands will need to optimize not only for search engines but also for conversational AI ecosystemsNew insights from the Ad Council Research Institute and Google found that nearly twothirds of Americans use generative AI for personal or work tasks Thereamp8217s so much to learn as we look to reach people where they are especially in uncovering how to leverage the latest innovations for social impactWeitzner What advice do you have for media professionals as they navigate these uncertain timesPerera Generative AI has triggered an unusually fast and broad wave of innovation across almost all industries My advice for media professionals is to stay curious and adaptable rethink historical ways of working and invest in experimentation and upskillingPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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Beyond the Scoreboard: Leveraging Sports Platforms to Destigmatize Mental Health

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