Bauer Media and Where’s Your Head At? have partnered with mental health charity Chasing the Stigma to launch #PledgeKindness, a campaign that encourages people to pledge to do something kind for someone else. It aims to spread happiness across the country, foster communication and human contact, and improve people’s mental health.

The campaign comes as new research from Bauer Media found that since the pandemic, two thirds of people agreed that it is now more important than ever to be kind to others. 66% also appreciate the little things more, stating that small acts that were previously dismissed now seem more extravagant. Plus, a strong link between kindness and mental health was recognised; over 75% agreed that both performing and receiving acts of kindness helps boost a positive mindset.

Launching today, the campaign will invite audiences to simply ‘pin’ an act of kindness to an interactive digital map, allowing them to see other pledges that have been posted locally and across the country. The campaign aims to collect 10,000 pledges by World Mental Health Day on Saturday 10th October.

To reach its goal, Bauer brands including Grazia, heat, Yours, Magic Radio and Hits Radio will be publishing and airing call outs and kindness stories to over 25 million people in the UK. In a first, Absolute Radio will take out the final ad-break every hour between 10am-4pm on 9th October and replace it with an instrumental song. This will encourage listeners to take time to think about the power of words, their mental health and how they can help the people around them. The campaign has been supported by stars such as Little Mix, Olly Murs, James Bay and Laura Whitmore, all of which will be sharing their stories of kindness and inspiring fans to get involved too.

The interactive digital map has been built in partnership with Chasing the Stigma’s Hub of Hope app; which brings together all the mental health support available to someone in any given area. The Hub of Hope is the only service of its kind that brings together NHS, voluntary, grassroots, private and third sector mental health support details nationally and locally, with over 1,800 services registered and its database growing daily.

This campaign follows previous initiatives launched by Bauer Media and Where’s Your Head At?, including its social media blackout on last year’s World Mental Health Day and its petition in partnership with Mental Health First Aid England and Natasha Devon MBE on making it compulsory to have a mental health first aider at work.

Commenting on the campaign, Abby Carvosso Group Managing Director Bauer Media Advertising said, “At Bauer Media we have been proactively campaigning for mental health awareness with Where’s Your Head At? since 2018 and believe that it is even more important and relevant now than ever with the pandemic. We want to be able to drive awareness, actively support people who are suffering and explore the issues and topics that matter most to our audiences and customers – so we’re very proud to be partnering with Chasing the Stigma and bring all our brands together to launch this campaign.”

Jake Mills, Founder of Chasing the Stigma, added: “It’s great to be a part of this campaign which highlights mental health and we hope people get involved and #PledgeKindness. Year after year, we are faced with the same reality that thousands of lives are being lost to suicide. There were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2019, many of which weren’t known to the system, and Covid-19 is having a catastrophic effect on people across the UK. Every day, not just on national awareness days, we should be opening dialogue, making sure people know what support resources are available and giving them a space to find help.”

For more information on the campaign and to pledge a small act of kindness now, please visit: https://www.wheresyourheadat.org

For Further Press Information on Bauer Media, please contact:

Cat Martin (née Macdonald) – Communications Director Bauer Media
E: cat.martin@bauermedia.co.uk

Odelia Yu – Senior Commercial Communications Executive, Bauer Media
E: odelia.yu@bauermedia.co.uk