Open Up
Tightness in your chest, a sinking feeling in your stomach, fidgety appendages - no matter the cause, anxiety is often a physical experience. At the onset of the pandemic, we saw a dramatic rise in the number of clients coming to us reporting feelings of generalized anxiety. In order to show people that we understood what they were feeling, we created “Open Up”.
In this spot, our hero’s world closes in on her while she’s having a panic attack. The solution we present is to open up, in this case, to a therapist.
The Test Variant
With the pandemic in full swing, we wanted to find out which therapy modality had the broadest appeal at the top of the funnel. Most clients opted to have their live sessions via video, while utilizing asynchronous messaging in between. The ability to text your therapist was one of the benefits of getting therapy through BetterHelp, so we wanted to see if that value prop resonated with a wide audience.
In the 0:30 second version you see here, our hero is pulled back to reality by a message she receives from her therapist.
The Results
This spot was a resounding success and it’s one that I’m personally very proud of. We ran “Open Up” for the better part of a year on most of our channels including Facebook, YouTube, and broadcast. That’s a year of efficient CPAs and positive engagement.
The results of our test were also quite useful. In our head-to-head test of the communication modalities, we found that the version ending with a live video session outperformed the texting version significantly. As such, we included simulated live video sessions in all following commercials that featured the product.
By showcasing what anxiety feels like, we were able to prove to people that we deeply understood mental health issues and what they felt like, while positioning therapy and BetterHelp as a viable option for overcoming them.
As a nice little bonus, this spot won BetterHelp its first advertising award.
The Comment Section
“This ad is beautiful. It is a POWERFUL example of exactly what someone like me who suffers from PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks goes through. It is awesome to see someone finally able to let non-sufferers see exactly what it’s like for a person that suffers from these things.”
@fushichoorkurayami
“This ad is so powerful. As someone who has panic attacks, this was really relatable. Her facial expressions and the walls closing in are so real. This deserves more views. Great job!”
@hotchagirlie
“Nailed it. I appreciate them showing what it feels like for people who don’t understand”