There has been a significant rise in brands supporting male mental health and this provides rights holders with an opportunity to show how they can provide a more visible platform for brands to showcase how they’re helping tackle this important issue.

This month marked the 20th anniversary of men’s health movement Movember. Originally focusing on prostate cancer, the foundation has branched out to include more aspects of men’s health, notably mental health particularly around that of suicide.

It’s also an issue that both brands and rights holders have looked to address so we thought it would be timely for our latest report to cover brands who are activating around men’s mental health to give rights holders ideas about who to approach and with what message.

It’s particularly pertinent given that nearly one in four sponsorships undertaken last month were because the brand wanted to show how it is positively impacting society (aka Social Impact). This is a rise on 18% of sponsorships across the whole year to date.

An example is online gambling firm Kindred who were looking to improve how their brand was perceived. One technique they employed to achieve this was deepening their sponsorship ties with Scottish Premiership football club Rangers through a new investment in the club’s mental health ‘Team Talk’ initiative in which men can openly discuss any struggles they may be having in a safe and supportive environment.

In addition to providing funding, one activation involved the firm donating its front-of-shirt sponsorship for Rangers’ high-profile UEFA Europa League semi-final tie to the club’s Team Talk logo instead.

The firm also rolled out a similar programme with English football league club Derby County in which it said their actions “show a new model for football club sponsorship is possible and [we] are leading the way in becoming a sponsor of choice for a club and its community. “

Of course, for brands it makes business sense to show how they’re benefitting society. For instance, data from Ypulse revealed that mental health is one of the main ‘hot topics’ for brands targeting Gen Z (along with sustainability) and that 71% of Gen Z consumers like when brands make mental health a part of their marketing and messaging.

So, in caytoo’s ongoing quest to help rights holders improve their chances of generating conversations with potential sponsors, our latest report – Brands supporting male mental health – covers a selection of 15 brands activating around this important issue who are worth approaching about how your platform can amplify what they’re trying to achieve. It includes:

• Overview
• Notable sponsorship deals
• caytoo’s 15 brands to approach
• Decision-maker contact details
• How to improve your chances of success