Hedonia Awareness Campaign
There is no expression for depression
How can something that affects so many still make a person feel so alone? Millions suffer, and yet, no other illness causes the guilt, isolation, and self-blame that depression brings. What if instead, we gave depression the grace and holistic approach to treatment that other illness are given? Hedonia is not a drug or supplement, rather it is a medical food that addresses the scientifically studied nutritional deficiencies seen in those suffering.
For this client, I concepted, wrote, and art directed multiple campaign directions to assist with launching this revolutionary new way to help holistically manage depression.
Copywriting * Concepting * Art Direction
Audience and Strategy
Hedonia’s audience is well researched and documented. They are regular people who feel a loss of control due to their illness. Not only are they consciously aware how their depression affects their life, they know and feel guilt about how it impacts their loved ones.
Addressing such a sensitive topic to an audience who is fatigued from trying multiple medications and still not feeling like themselves required approaches built with empathy, understanding, and credibility.
Stop Feeling Less Campaign
With copy, sometimes less is more. This initial campaign concept was paired with a visual that showed the relationship of how removing “less” from certain words changed their meaning to the opposite feeling.
This concept direction was selected as the foundation to move forward with to finding a balance of a hopeful message that would speak to our audience while also quickly conveying Hedonia’s benefits in a digestible way.
Additional Concepts
The process behind finding the campaign that is selected can be a long and winding journey that creates visuals and lines that may be revived later or lead to new directions and sparked ideas.
I think it’s important to show the things left on the cutting room floor and understand ultimately how looking at one thing at multiple angles is worthwhile even if those angles never see the light of day.
Print Ad
A smile can have a hundred meanings. So does a frown. Does your expression match how you feel?
Evolved from “Stop Feeling Less”, this print ad emphasized that you can’t always tell when someone is living with long-term depression. That’s why it has no true expression.
Script Concepts
Multiple script treatments were written to be developed into a 30 second and 60 second commercial. These script treatments varied from the highly conceptual to ones that more closely played on the themes of Expression of Depression and Stop Feeling Less.
