With Mental Health Week already underway, print has been used heavily in promotional materials used by charities, government organisations and community groups in the lead up to the important event on Aussie calendars.

In Australia, Mental Health Week starts on October 10, coinciding with World Mental Health Day, and runs until October 16. In New South Wales, the week is extended to a month long campaign during October, raising awareness about mental health and wellbeing in Australia.

WayAhead is a community initiative of Mental Health Association NSW which has promoted Mental Health Month for the past 30 years using printed materials as its main communication channel.

WayAhead mental health promotions officer Mehna Alacozy says their theme this year, Learn and Grow was promoted heavily using printed posters, postcards and factsheets.

She says, “We work with a lot of grassroots organisations in the lead up to Mental Health Month and we find these organisations love handing out printed materials when they visit schools or open forums, because people like having a physical thing to take away.”

According to Alacozy, every year WayAhead produces 17,000 posters and 160,000 postcards for Mental Health Month, which for the past three years have been printed by White Lion Graphics.

WayAhead communications manager Matthew Keighery says the organisation also uses digital media to spread awareness of mental health, however it is considered an accompaniment to print.  

“Community organisations use print because printed posters can be put up in public spaces, it stays there for a long period of time, and it grabs people’s attention,” he explains.

“We still use digital media in our campaigns in the form of online newsletters, but principally we prefer to use print.”

Australian non-profit mental health organisation Beyond Blue does not directly promote Mental Health Week, however throughout the year it promotes mental health awareness, its theme this year is bullying in the workplace.

Beyond Blue communications officer Carmel Egan says, “Our main target of promotion is mainstream media, if you want to reach and influence people that is where you should go first. Press releases in print editions of newspapers in addition to online are always our first point of call.

“You have to use multiple channels of communications, but for us print remains the core method of spreading messages, particularly if you are trying to reach certain groups like elderly people who might pick up printed mental health materials at their doctor’s office.” 

National mental health charity Sane Australia, which mostly uses digital promotion, is bucking tradition this year by using a postcard promotional campaign.

 “As a not-for-profit organisation we prefer to use digital because we feel it is a cheaper option,” says Sane spokesperson Ellen Sproule. 

“However this year, as part of Mental Health Week, Sane Australia has volunteers at key locations around Melbourne handing out printed postcards to help raise awareness of the Sane Help Centre.  

Sproule adds, “The postcards help create conversations about mental illness and educate people about where they can turn to for information, guidance, and referral to manage mental health concerns.” 

If you or anyone you know needs help, please contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Sane Australia on 1800 18 7263.

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