Talking about your suicidal thoughts can save you. But Hongkongers aren’t used to talk about their depressing thoughts, especially with people they know. Unfortunately, many aren’t aware that anonymous helplines exist.

The Samaritans showed Hongkongers that they’re there to guide them out of their darkest moments when confronting the most common issues that lead to depression, with the power of talk. We launched ads that visually express rescuers helping the victim out of their feeling of loss through dialogue.

As a result, the campaign gained a lot of attention online, and The Samaritans saw a 25% increase in calls.

We created a series of five ads, based on the five most common causes of suicidal thoughts as reported by callers to The Samaritans: family issues, gambling debts, substance addiction, relationship issues and bullying.

Each ad visually expresses the feeling of loss a victim feels in these situations, as well as rescuers helping the victim in each of these situations, both within speech bubbles that represent a dialogue. These show how our anonymous counsellors can help you find a way out of your dire situation.

All using an approachable illustration style and a clear call-to-action to compel those who need help to make the call.

The campaign quickly spread and more importantly there were an increase of 25% calls to The Samaritans for help, enabling the helpline to save even more people by talking.