Australians are notorious for not talking about their feelings and this behaviour is manifesting in worrying statistics amongst Gen Z. As many as 1 in 4 young Australians are struggling with their mental health and 70% aren’t getting the help they need. As a brand that stands for ‘Bold Self Expression’, and with our core demographic aged 18-24, Doritos knew we had a role to play in getting Gen Z talking about what’s really on their mind while increasing brand love as a result.

We identified the biggest barrier to expressing how you really feel – saying “I’m fine” even when there’s more on your mind. So we hijacked this unhealthy auto-response and turned it into a moment of powerful self reflection. In partnership with respected mental health organisation ReachOut and local creators and artists, we seeded a mix of branded and creator content that showed the real inner monologues going on in our heads when asked “How are you?”. Every touch point drove our audience to an interactive platform where a series of questions helped them check in on their mental state and, if necessary, find the resources to reach out.

We identified that young Australians need more support than they’re currently getting. Too often, they wait until they are completely desperate before reaching out, because they think of it almost as a last resort for those in a serious crisis… and they consider they’re not there yet. We knew by getting them to reach out sooner, we could help them before they reached a full mental health crisis.

The desired consumer action was for young Australians to engage regularly with youth health organisation ReachOut, well before serious mental health problems arise, because they recognise that as a human being with emotions, it’s healthy to proactively check in with yourself from time to time.

Knowing Gen Z looks for brands with purpose, for Doritos, a campaign that helps our core consumers boldly express themselves would also increase brand love.

The campaign launched with an activation event that took place during the Sydney Vivid Light Festival. This night of reflection brought creators, mental health experts and the wider community together to discuss the importance of reaching out for help. This coincided with the “I’m fine” branded content films seeded across social channels, raising mass awareness and driving the audience to an online platform to check in with themselves, and if necessary get the resources to reach out. Fresh packaging designs and OOH also drove directly to the platform. Creators extended the campaign and spoke directly to our core demographic with their own spin on the “I’m fine” insight, fueling online conversations that got young Australians to open up. Many even started creating their own “I’m fine” content in response.

The content videos received 18 million video views, with Meta views 200% over target. In total, the campaign received over 41 million impressions from a mix of paid and earned media.

But most impressive: over 80,000 people reached out for help as a direct response to the campaign, Proving that sometimes, we just need a little encouragement to say what’s on our mind.