Reframing how men talk about mental health

Men working in high-stress, male-dominated industries often face barriers to talking openly about mental health. Traditional campaigns frequently rely on emotional appeals, crisis-centered messaging, or statistics, but research showed these approaches often felt disconnected from how this audience actually communicates.

Before developing creative, Reach conducted 52 anonymous surveys, 11 in-depth interviews, and multiple rounds of concept testing with men working in construction, engineering, and shipbuilding. The research revealed that the audience wasn't avoiding conversations about mental health altogether. They were rejecting messaging that felt scripted, performative, or inauthentic.

That insight became the foundation of You Good, Man? Rather than asking men to communicate differently, the campaign centered on language they were already comfortable using with one another. A familiar question became a simple invitation to check in.

The campaign was built around a cinematic video series filmed in real workplace environments, using quiet moments, familiar peer-to-peer interactions, minimal dialogue, and ambient sound to reflect everyday experiences. Audience research also informed the media strategy, leading to an integrated campaign across Meta, YouTube, Google Search and Display, streaming and connected TV, organic social media, and YouGoodMan.org.

The campaign generated more than 6.7 million impressions, drove nearly 35,000 website visits, with 94% from first-time users, achieved a 3.59% Meta engagement rate, and outperformed healthcare benchmarks with a $0.47 cost per click.

Beyond campaign performance, You Good, Man? became the foundation of Rhode Island's statewide men's mental health resource platform, demonstrating that public health communication is most effective when it reflects how people already think, talk, and connect.