Under the tree: an example of behaviour-change in mental health by fox&cat
In July 2023, fox&cat was named winner of the Digital PR Campaign of the Year (low budget) for its mental health campaign Under the tree. The judges said: “The campaign truly stood out among the rest, not only because of the remarkable results it achieved, but also because of its purpose-driven approach.
“The team’s well-defined objectives and their ability to exceed expectations were truly impressive. It was refreshing to witness a campaign that not only delivered outstanding outcomes, but also brought meaningful impact.”
Paul Hutchings, founder of fox&cat – the agency that conceived, funded and delivered this award-winning campaign – commented: “As a vehemently purpose-led business that is all about delivering excellent outcomes and great value to our clients, winning the low budget category, in a field as important as mental health, is a huge deal for us.
“Being up against eleven other strong campaigns showcases that even as a new agency, we’re able to stand alongside big players in our field of work. And being finalists for seven further industry awards for PM Society and PR Week including ‘innovative agency of the year’ and two for ‘new agency of the year’, we hope to continue this trend.”
Fox&cat was launched with a mission to help pharma and healthcare clients deliver and thrive under pressure. Concerned by the the four-year trend that 9 in 10 people working in comms experience poor mental health with 7 in 10 experiencing stress, fox&cat decided this could not continue. The abundant need to help the comms industry to better manage pressure and stress at work formed the backbone rationale for fox&cat’s new CSR/social purpose.
Team fox&cat formed a ‘shared vision’ partnership with the CIPR, PRCA and HCA to create Under the tree: a safe space for communications professionals to come together and learn the skills needed to turn workload pressure and stress into a force for good.
They ran a series of 45-minute LinkedIn Live lunchtime sessions for thirteen weeks, covering eleven sessions on ‘team mental health safety’, ‘resilience and confidence’, ‘critical connection’, ‘solutions-focused thinking’ and ‘mindfulness’ and two ‘mental health leadership’ panel discussions for senior communicators.
A staggering 90% of people who completed the training reported that they felt better equipped to deal with their pressures of their role versus 50% hoped. This was in addition to incredible words of encouragement and praise from attendees across the board.
Unanimous feedback from the partners around the success of the campaign included that of Mike Dixon, CEO, Healthcare Communications Association (HCA): “Huge thanks the fox&cat team for personally and financially supporting and coordinating such a fantastic and valuable initiative. The HCA are proud to have been associated with Under the tree.”
The campaign was given to the industry for free, meaning no cost to individual or business for this initiative. This is a completely altruistic project from a new brave agency – a clear proof point for it being a truly purpose-driven agency.
fox&cat is an award-winning healthcare communications agency that creates inspirational campaigns and programmes that exceed expectations. Priding itself on delivering outstanding outcomes with meaningful impact, fox&cat is a vehemently purpose-driven agency offering excellent value to clients due to its unique post-COVID operating model.
If you would like to find out more about fox&cat can how the team can help you with any communications challenges, please do make contact:
Email: info@foxandcat.online
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/foxandcat-online/
PM Hub: www.pmlive.com/pmhub/healthcare_public_relations/fox_and_cat
Website: www.foxandcat.online