Network Rail partnered with Shout on a campaign to signpost vulnerable people to mental health support before presenting at the railway in crisis.
Over the duration of the campaign, there was a 32% decrease in the number of vulnerable people presenting on the railway across the 10 target campaign locations, resulting in a significant saving of lives and distress to individuals, families, railway workers and communities.
The brief
Network Rail approached us looking for a communications campaign that would help signpost vulnerable people to mental health support options at the earliest opportunity.
The campaign target audience was young men and women aged 18-24, with a primary focus on 10 incident hotspots across the UK where numbers of vulnerable people presenting on the railway were particularly high. The objective was to reduce the numbers of railway trespass from these young people, signposting those in distress to Shout’s mental health support before they reach crisis point and consider ending their lives on the railway.
Campaign research and report
Underpinning the campaign was the insight that loneliness is a significant risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviour, while making positive connections acts as a protective factor against suicidal thought and behaviours.
Loneliness is one of the most common reasons people contact Shout, being the main issue in over 15% of conversations and a feature of many other conversations. Our data shows that the majority (65%) of those texting Shout about loneliness are under 25 years old, making it a particularly prevalent issue for young people. Reasons for loneliness included relationship breakdowns, bereavement and relocation to new areas without friends, family, or community networks.
To engage rail industry stakeholders and the media with the campaign, alongside its launch we released a report which explored loneliness and the importance of making connections for positive mental health and protection against suicide.
The campaign
The campaign encouraged young people in and around railway stations across Britain to ‘Make a connection’ by texting the keyword ‘Journey’ to 85258 to access the Shout service for free, confidential, 24/7 mental health support by text message.
Mental Health Innovations developed original photography and video for the campaign, including three creative variants. Each featured a young person representative of the target demographic, experiencing thoughts and feelings that Shout texters commonly experience.
The campaign launched on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2023, and ran through to March 2024. Campaign activity was increased at key times of the year where people may feel suicidal such as around the Christmas and post-Christmas periods and Mother's Day.
It targeted and retargeted people aged 18-24 within a 5-mile radius of the 10 priority locations, showing them a mix of static and video ads.
Additionally, we provided the rail industry with a toolkit including a range of promotional campaign material that they could display in-station and across their media channels. These included display posters, a station announcement and social media graphics, as well as dual language assets in English and Welsh. Stations across the country, including Liverpool Street, Paddington and Manchester Piccadilly, displayed the campaign creative.
We released our research report, holding a briefing webinar for industry stakeholders. Our Director of Data Insights, AI and Research and a Shout beneficiary and volunteer acted as media spokespeople, taking part in a broadcast radio day and participating in 15 media interviews for stations across the UK, with a reach of more than 3.5 million.
Impact
The media campaign delivered 8.5 million impressions and 160 thousand clicks, with a click through rate (CTR) of 1.86%; well above the industry benchmark of 0.05%.
Around 200 vulnerable people have used the Journey keyword to access the Shout service for support with their mental health. They have had 300 conversations with our Shout Volunteers. Of these conversations, 47% had suicide as an issue, and in 29% of those conversations, texters had a plan for suicide. In 3% of conversations, texters were judged to be at imminent risk of suicide and a safety-plan was made with them. In 6% of conversations, we worked with the Metropolitan police to stage an intervention and alert emergency services.
Overall, we're thrilled to have seen a 32% decrease in the number of vulnerable people presenting on the railway, across the 10 target campaign locations over the duration of the campaign. This represents a significant saving of lives and distress to individuals, families, railway workers and communities.