Want Better Help

Good World
Published on Jul 25, 2022
“What do you want?” It’s a simple question, but a new campaign for online therapy service BetterHelp.com shows that it can elicit deeply personal and heartfelt responses the asker might be unprepared for.

Created by Toronto’s Untitled Films with director Rebecca Applebaum and writer Julie Lederer, the new client-direct campaign is intended to raise awareness of BetterHelp.com, while positioning therapy as an important resource for people experiencing anxiety and uncertainty.

Running across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok, the digital campaign has a specific focus on men’s mental health.

“Historically, men have been hesitant to reach out and ask for help with their mental health,” says James Imrie, creative director, BetterHelp. “We’re starting to see more and more men open up about their feelings and emotions as the long-held stigmas start to fade. Rebecca and the team at Untitled Films did an amazing job capturing the feeling of existential anxiety that plagues so many of us. We’re excited to play a part in continuing to break down these stigmas, while we continue to provide the therapy resources to enable people to work through these feelings.”

The 60-second spot “Want” unfolds as if viewers are watching a therapy session. It opens on a man sitting on a couch and responding to a voice off-camera asking, “What do you want?” It’s a question that elicits a range of responses, starting with some simple desires that become increasingly more vulnerable and heart-felt as the man begins to truly open up.

The spell is broken when the camera shifts to reveal his roommate, who says he simply wants to know what he wants to eat. Clearly embarrassed, the man responds “Oh, just the Pad Thai.” As the spot cuts to a wide shot showing the two men in a living room, a subtitle appears reading “Need someone else to talk to?” followed by the BetterHelp logo.

Credits:

Client: BetterHelp
Title: Want
Creative Director: James Imrie
Content Administrator: Natalie Brown

Production Company: Untitled Films

Director: Rebecca Applebaum
Director of Photography: Josh MacDonald
Executive Producer: Lexy Kavluk
Line Producer: Nick Gervais

Writer (freelance): Julia Lederer

Editorial: Saints Editorial
Editor: Christopher Chang
Executive Producer: Emily McKay

Colour & VFX: Alter Ego
Colourist: Patrick Samaniego
Colour Assistant: James Graham
VFX Artist: Sebastian Boros
VFX Assistant Nupur Desai
Producer: Mariya Guzova

Sound Design: Grayson Music Group
Sound Design / Audio Director / Senior Audio Engineer: Brian Bernard
Music Supervisor: Rich Hamilton
Producer: Sharon Yokoyama

Cast: Izaak Smith, Darrel Gamotin

Casting: Rebecca Applebaum
Casting Assistant: Chelsea Preston