Full Punch and WIRTH Hats join forces with an unconventional approach to improve mental well-being.
One in four Canadians experience mental health problems. That's a staggering number, up 25% from one in five in 2021, and it doesn't look like it will get better any time soon. As if those statistics weren't scary enough, if you work in the advertising industry, you're three times more likely to experience anxiety or depression than the general population.
Vancouver-based advertising agency Full Punch has collaborated with WIRTH Hats to help improve mental well-being by releasing a new cap that puts the Canadian mental wellness hotline number top of mind, literally. "Stats show that better visibility of mental health hotlines increases calls by as much as 25%," said Partner, Head of Creative, Chris Zawada. "So we teamed up with WIRTH to put the Canadian mental wellness hotline number somewhere it's always with you, whenever you need it."
Created in memory of Jakob Wirth, who lost his life to suicide, WIRTH Hats is a company whose sole purpose is improving mental health. Every hat WIRTH sells sponsors a free counselling session for someone in need. "We've been looking to add a more actionable piece like this to our collection for a while," said co-founder Ben Miller. "What's so great about this hat is that it has a clear call-to-action—to call for help if you're feeling the strain. At WIRTH we have talked about the idea of creating three levels of impact with our hats. First, the symbol of mental health all of our hats represent and the WIRTH story behind it. Second, the WIRTH Counselling Fund and how each hat contributes. And third is where the Hotline Hat comes in, putting a 24/7 counselling hotline number top of mind.”
In addition to the unconventional approach of placing a support line on a hat, the design utilizes green, the international colour for mental health awareness, paired with bright yellow, promoting happiness and optimism in the observer. "These hats are designed to grab people's attention, offering a much-needed lifeline in an industry where mental health resources can be challenging to track down," says Zawada.
Full Punch is confident the collaboration will start an honest discussion around mental health and encourage those who need help to pick up the phone and have a chat. "We hope the hats open the door for more conversation about positive mental hygiene in advertising and beyond," said President, Partner Mike Leslie. "Aside from providing tangible free counselling sessions for those who need them, the hats will help create an allyship that, sadly, is currently missing from our industry."
Together we can help make the industry we love better. Buy a hat. Give a chat. hotlinehat.com
