The Foundation launches its new awareness campaign
The big media family joined the Mental Illness Foundation for its new awareness campaign. Unveiled on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at a press conference, the campaign is inspired by the “It’s Urgent to Act” theme.
The MIF stops airing a controversial ad
Working with the “It’s Urgent to Act” theme, the Mental Illness Foundation wants to raise public awareness about the importance of diagnosing and treating mental illnesses that affect one out of six Quebecers at any given time. In order to do this, the MIF has been using a new advertising message that has drawn a variety of reactions from TV viewers since it was first aired a few days ago.
The script for the message did make some people more aware and sparked the sense of urgency to find help. However, other viewers were shocked by the ad because they saw an unjustified use of violence in it. Noting the confusion in the public’s perception of the ad, the Foundation decided to stop airing the controversial message.
Through its programs and actions, the Mental Illness Foundation pursues three main objectives: Prevent mental illness, relieve the suffering of those affected and mobilize people with mental illness and the society around them to fight the consequences of mental illness. The Foundation and health care specialists know that a certain taboo surrounds the subject of mental illnesses and that proactiveness is sometimes needed to initiate discussion on this issue.
The Foundation sincerely regrets that an advertising message, designed and produced by volunteering professionals, may have distressed some viewers.
Now that this message has been pulled, participating media are airing the public interest message from the Foundation’s 2005 awareness campaign.