Mind Charity does not have much of a budget for promotional activities as it is a non-profit business, but leaflets are a good way of raising awareness of mental health issues. They are not that expensive compared to television and radio broadcasting, and this will be discussed later in portfolio. The leaflets will provide the main information of how to get help, and the different natures of mental health. Mind charity must think about releasing different types of leaflets explaining for the specific mental health issues, such as one leaflet explaining anorexia.

The disadvantage to giving out brochures and leaflets to teenagers in the Sutton area, are the teenagers are likely to cause litter for the environment. Teenagers littering environment shows they are not interested in informative leaflets. The leaflets need to gain their attention for at least 5 seconds by either attracting attention to something emotive or informative about relevant mental health issues related to teenagers. Mind Charity has a published a new booklet for young people and those with them to help them recognise the signs of mental distress.

Mind’s new booklet ‘My name is Pete’ presents young people with accessible information about psychosis and its symptoms and how to manage them when they arise. It has been a produced in a comic book style so to relate to young people, and has also been narrated by a young person who has been in mental distress. The booklet is useful for teachers and will be able to relate to how the young person is feeling when distressed. 7 Posters Posters can be informative about how to get help within the Sutton area specifically for teenagers about mental health issues.

The posters will be posted around the Sutton schools, and within the Sutton area, where most teenagers go to such as youth clubs, Odeon cinema, and Sutton bowling. This is to persuade the teenagers to be aware of mental health issues. Posters can be emotive in order to gain attention of mental health awareness. For example, Child abuse NSPCC use emotive posters in order to gain awareness of child abuse. Emotive posters are likely to gain attention from teenagers. This will have a semantic effect, so they can react and be able to be aware of the issues around mental health.

Posters can provide the main information on where to get help, how to get help, and why they should get help. The different outlets for help will be on the posters – and more information can be made through a phone number and a website, which will also be on the poster. Posters can use bright colours and bold titles in order to attract attention of teenagers. The posters are mainly in school or youth clubs – places where to learn and observe so they are most likely to read about mental health awareness. The places are where teenagers are likely to go so are a captive audience.

Posters may not attract teenagers, because they are too busy to look or not interested in mental health. The posters may be too vandalised – for teenagers to be able to see what the poster says. Mind Charity need to have a series of posters. The series can be either a story line of a child with mental health issues, which will engage the teenager wanting to know more about the subject. A series of different children will explain the specific types of mental illness to give the teenager’s more of an understanding. Television & Radio

Television can provide visual images, and show moving images how it affects different people. Giving an insight of each common nature of mental health, this will give more detail. The documentary or advert should be on when teenagers are mostly likely to watch television or listen to radio. For example when Hollyoaks/Eastenders etc is on, these can involve story lines to explain how mental illnesses can affect a person’s life. The television and radio will be able to reach a mass audience of teenagers and adults. This is an advantage as this could be raising awareness of mental health towards both teenagers and adults.

This also creates visual image of Mind charity, and to see if they are doing good work. Although television is a good way of advertising, it may too expensive for a charity like Mind. The mental health issues can be easily be stereotyped, if not giving the factual information rather than the false information about the exact nature of mental health issues. NSPCC adverts on television, as a purpose to protect children – their mission is to end child abuse full stop. The child abuse adverts are made to raise awareness of the problem of child cruelty and abuse.

The advert is very emotive (picture) and is being powerful in creating awareness. This can be done in relation to Mind charity – by adverts on television and to raise awareness of mental health issues through emotive adverts. These adverts can be done by television and radio. Free Gift The free gift such as a wristband and stickers provide interest to create awareness of mental health issues. The free gift doesn’t provide information on the exact nature of different mental health issues,because for example a pen is too tiny to provide information but a leaflet can be handed out at the same time.

The free gift may get vandalised or thrown away, showing the teenager is not interested in creating awareness for mental health charity. However if the free gift is of use /fashion then it maybe kept. If the free gift has a name/website on it then by mere exposure people who use it and friends are likely to see it. The ‘mere exposure effect’ states that the more a name or brand is in public eye the more favourable the reaction attitude towards it. The rubber wristbands are available in different colours to represent different charities.

The trend started with a yellow band which is inscribed with ‘livestrong’ and was set up by American cyclist Lance Armstong to raise awareness of cancer. 8 For Mind charity to raise awareness of mental health there should be a specific colour or number of colours on the wrist band in order to gain awareness among young people. The showing support of charities amongst young people is high compared to when there was only the traditional charity pins.

Young people may only be wearing them for a fashion statement but if it increases awareness of the charity, it is obviously a good thing. Magazines Magazines can provide visual images through adverts to create awareness of mental health issues and provide help lines for teenagers. Mind Charity must advertise in magazines that teenagers read, such as sugar, vogue etc. and boys’ magazines such as FHM. Teenagers will read alone when reading magazines, so will intake more information in the magazine – so will understand more about mental health issues, if information is in the magazine.

Magazines can contain celebrities who suffer from mental illness, such as Stephen Fry (Bipolar) and Geri Halliwell (Depression) and this can help decrease stigma within the teenagers. The magazine will be able to reach a mass audience of teenagers through magazines, but only depends on if they read or aware of mental health issues. For Mind Charity it may be a good way of advertising and creating awareness of mental health , as it may not be too expensive for a non-profit business. PSHE Talks A member of Mind charity can educate teenagers on raising awareness of different types of mental health issues.

The member of Mind will also provide information on exact nature of mental health issues and will help to deconstruct existing stereotypes to teenagers. Information on services of help will be available to people suffering from mental health issues to teenagers. The teenagers are more likely to listen to guest speakers in an area where they are educated, rather than at home. The member of Mind can give out leaflets and free gifts in order for the teenagers to become more aware mental health issues.

The PSHE talks will contain topics such as the different nature of mental illnesses, how to de construct stereotypes, and how to be able to get help about the different mental illnesses. PSHE talks can be used to give workshops and class activities, to be able to demonstrate how much distress the mental illness can cause and how to be able to cope/ be aware of them. Year 9 can be able to do class activities, because this year age group are more likely to understand through those events such as class activities.

Year 11 to 13 can be able to do whole school talks – as they are more likely to pay attention in whole school talks compared to Year 9. The Young Minds schools outreach service visit schools to talk to students on how to keep emotionally healthy and aware of their mental health. They provide an awareness workshop or assembly to help staff and young people gain an insight into mental health issues. They provide publications that young mind’s produce to young people and staff to understand mental health issues in greater detail.

Evaluation From looking at the promotional activities available I can see some are much more accessible and relevant to Mind and my circumstances, teenagers are likely to learn more in a PHSE lesson about mental health awareness compared to reading about mental health in a magazine or a leaflet. Before choosing PHSE talks as part of my promotional mix, I will be able to look more in depth before my plan is produced by looking at the different types of media. These are such as print media, new media and audiovisual media.

At this point, the three main promotional activities that I would choose to help create awareness of mental health issues are, free gift such as keyring/wristband, PSHE talks, and television. The free gift of a wristband because it is very fashionable amongst young people and this will create awareness amongst friends (word of mouth). The PSHE talks will be able to educate and get a captive audience at school and will be in direct contact with experts from the area of mental health professionals. The television because teenagers watch it everyday, especially soaps, and can involve story lines around mental health issues.