Feb2014_Men responding in large numbers to beyondblue TV campaign
Thousands of Aussie men have visited beyondblue’s Man Therapy website after seeing Dr Brian Ironwood during the ad breaks while they’ve been watching the cricket on TV.
Dr Brian Ironwood is not a registered practitioner, but he takes seriously his role as the face of the Man Therapy campaign which aims to improve men’s wellbeing and reduce the much higher rates of male suicide in Australia compared to women.
The TV ads have been running nationally since Boxing Day during the coverage of The Ashes, The Big Bash League and the One Day International.
beyondblue Chairman Jeff Kennett says he’s really thrilled that the campaign’s messaging has reached its intended audience and that thousands of men have taken the time to check out the Man Therapy site to learn more about looking after their mental health.
“We estimate that in three weeks around two million men were exposed to the ads during the cricket. As a result, visits to www.mantherapy.org.au increased astronomically,” Mr Kennett said.
“In the first fortnight alone, there were almost 19,000 site visits with more than 90 per cent being new visitors, and the number of men completing the online mental health quiz increased dramatically to one in three. It shows that men have actually taken note and taken action. What an incredible result!
“I am so pleased that Dr Brian Ironwood’s dry humorous approach to men’s wellbeing has had an impact on Australian men enjoying the revered national past-time of watching the cricket on TV over the summer,” Mr Kennett said.
The Man Therapy Campaign is the first of its kind in Australia and urges men ‘to have the balls to take action’ on depression and anxiety while reminding them that a real man looks out for his mates.
beyondblue CEO Kate Carnell AO said men are much more likely to die by suicide than women, so it is especially pleasing that the way Dr Ironwood delivers health and wellbeing messages is striking a chord with men.
“Many people don’t realise that one in eight men are likely to experience depression during their lives and one in five are likely to experience anxiety. These rates are lower than women, but Australian men are more than three times more likely to die by suicide than women.
“The latest Australian Bureau of Statistic’s figures show that in 2011, the number of men who died by suicide is almost twice the number who died on the roads that year which means suicide is currently the biggest killer of males aged between 15 and 44.
“Research shows that untreated depression is a high risk factor for suicide and with most blokes not wanting to talk about how they feel, many won’t take action to discuss their issues with a doctor.
“Hopefully, they’ll take Dr Ironwood’s advice and take action to deal with their depression or anxiety,” she said.
Man Therapy is a multi-million dollar campaign that has been funded by the Federal Government as part of the Taking Action to Tackle Suicide Initiative.
