At a time when portraying our lives as “picture perfect” on social media is becoming the cultural standard, we tapped into a powerful truth—a photo doesn’t always tell the whole story, especially for someone suffering from mental illness.

So we worked with real people and captured them surrounded by their friends and families, then, through the power of Pixel 2 imagery, revealed their truth. Despite how happy they appeared outwardly, all of them sought help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

We wanted someone passionate about the cause to help deliver our message, and the rapper Logic was the obvious choice. His hit single, “1-800-273-8255” (named for the suicide lifeline), was nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys. This track, along with Logic’s voiceover, elevated the film to make it culturally relevant as the perfect complement to his Grammy performance of “1-800-273-8255.”

Central to our concept was using real people who had called the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. We cast a wide net around the country, searching for people you wouldn’t expect suffered from depression. Once we found our cast, we invited their friends and families to participate in the shoot to capture their lives as authentically as possible.

The entire film was captured with a Pixel 2 camera to reflect the art direction of an Instagram feed while touting the camera’s capabilities. We also used Logic’s hit single, “1-800-273-8255,” along with his voiceover, to act as a seamless tie between the visuals and our message. Finally, we partnered with the NSPH to include a call to action at the end for those in need of help.

We aired our 60-second spot on CBS immediately following Logic’s performance at the 2018 Grammys. It was also shared through Google’s and Logic’s social channels.

By airing “The Picture Perfect Life” directly after Logic's Grammys performance, the tie to our creative was instantly recognizable and impactful with 6.4M impressions on TV (18–49) and 684M impressions online. Across owned and partner social channels, the spot generated 18.7M views, 78K likes and 20K shares. The spot also generated strong organic conversation on social media, driving 10K mentions with 70% positive sentiment. Additionally, the spot led to a 2.9x increase in search volume for Pixel 2, and because people were encouraged to call, the spot contributed to the 3x increase in call volume to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on Grammys night.