Ministry of Health
Depression: There Is A Way Through It
To watch the NDI TV ad, you need Flash. You can get it right here and we’ll be waiting for you when you return.
Still not sure? Over 95% of Internet users in New Zealand have Flash. It’s really very useful for watching great clips. Like this Mitre 10 ‘DIY is in our DNA’ TV ad, which has become an iconic kiwi ad. The brilliant performances from the little kids are 100% real.
Why Change?
Depression is a leading preventable cause of death and disease in New Zealand. Awareness of depression has been growing but research showed that people, in particular men, were having trouble admitting that depression might directly affect them and were therefore reluctant to seek help.
What Changed?
Using the power of John Kirwan and his candid stories, people were motivated to seek help for themselves and others in unprecedented numbers. Over 70,000 calls have been received by the Depression Help Line, many times higher than anticipated - and significantly, 40 percent of these calls were from men.
The campaign was awarded a Gold EFFIE in 2007 and www.thelowdown.co.nz targeting youth with depression, was awarded a Gold EFFIE in 2008.