Val Morgan Outdoor and TheLatch have joined forces with the charity to encourage community members to reach out to their neighbours and #stayconnected.
Val Morgan’s digital publication TheLatch and outdoor business VMO have joined forces with long-term charity partner, R U OK? to encourage community members to reach out to their neighbours and #stayconnected during a time of global hardship.
R U OK? is an Australian suicide prevention organisation founded on the idea that a conversation can change a life.
The organisation empowers people to meaningfully connect with those around them through four simple steps – ask ‘Are you OK?’, listen, encourage action and check in.
Launching this week, the campaign will see R U OK? ads aired on VMO screens across retail and petro sites connecting Australians to this important message.
“Our network is strategically designed to connect brands with engaged audiences across Australia’s essential destinations, and we’re so proud to lend our screens to this important cause,” VMO managing director Paul Butler says.
Val Morgan’s partnership with R U OK? was founded two years ago on a shared commitment to support the awareness of mental wellbeing.
“R U OK?’s mission aligns so well with our company ethos. We don’t have to be experts to ask somebody, ‘Are you OK?’ It’s something we can all do, every day of the year to show we care, and it can make a real difference," Val Morgan Group director of people, performance and culture Jodi Paton says.
“Through advertising support in essential service destinations, as well as deepening the conversation through editorial content and interviews with R U OK? ambassadors, we hope to extend this support to the broader Australian community."
Already live on TheLatch, the campaign also features exclusive conversations with three R U OK? ambassadors – entertainer Rob Mills, AFL star turned DJ Tom Derickx and musician Casey Donovan.
Each interview is designed to erode the stigma associated with mental health and normalise experiences of anxiety and uncertainty during this turbulent time.
Importantly, there is a focus on staying connected to friends, family and the community.
The editorials provide practical advice based on personal experience to assist Australians during the COVID-19 crisis.
In the first instalment, Derickx talks about using this time to relax and slow down and reinforces the importance of prioritising what makes you feel happy.
While TheLatch has shifted its focus to supporting small businesses within our communities, it also continues to drive an important message around connectivity.
“Staying connected and checking in with friends and family has never been more important.
"Through partnering with R U OK? and interviewing its ambassadors, we’re sharing their advice for checking in and supporting those around you, alongside helpful content that encourages readers to have a conversation that starts by simply asking — Are you OK?” The Latch executive editor Amanda Bardas says.
The editorial will also be amplified across VMO’s digital screen network.
