As unemployment soars amid the coronavirus pandemic, meditation app Headspace is offering free, year-long subscriptions to those out of work. The offer comes in conjunction with the company’s first television campaign, created by agency Gut and Nexus Studio.
The pass will unlock access to all of the meditation app’s hundreds of hours of content, including a new collection focused specifically on managing the stress of unemployment, set to launch tomorrow. The company has already been offering healthcare providers and teachers free access to the app as well.
The app’s 30-second TV ad features narration by Headspace founder Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk who also voices the company’s popular social videos.
Meditation apps like Headspace have reported spikes in download numbers since coronavirus quarantine measures began to take effect in the United States and Europe this spring. Deborah Hyun, Headspace’s global vp of marketing, said in a previous interview that the number of users who completed the app’s “Stressed” regimen grew 13-fold between February and March.
In a survey conducted to accompany the new campaign, Headspace found that 59% of Americans say mental health has become more important to them since the Covid-19 outbreak started.
Headspace’s latest releases aim to home in on specific types of stress more directly. The new six-track collection”Living Through Unemployment” will include tracks like “Adapting to sudden change,” “Sadness and loss,” “Recovering confidence” and “Finding purpose.”
In addition to efforts aimed at frontline workers, Headspace has also worked with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on expanding access to the app’s content and creating state-specific collections.
CREDITS:
Agency: GUT Miami
Client: Headspace
Founder, CCO: Anselmo Ramos
COO, Partner: Paulo Fogaça
Chief Client Officer, Partner: Carmen Rodriguez
ECD, Partner: Ricardo Casal
ECD, Partner: Juan Javier Peña Plaza
Head of Art: Guido Fusetti
CD: Brynna Aylward
Sr. CW: Sai He
Head of Production: Renata Neumann
Executive Producer: Dieter Lebbe
Creative Manager: Cristina Cornejo Ayala
Director of Strategy: Pablo Rosas
CLIENT: Headspace
Chief Creative Officer: Caroline Pay
Creative direction: Paddy Fraser, Kyle Beck
Design: Tyler Hoehne
VP of Marketing: Deborah Hyun
Strategy: Sarah Neal Simpson
PRODUCTION: Nexus Studio
Animation Production: Nexus Studios
Direction: Felix Massie / Robertino Zambrano
Executive Producers: Julia Parfitt / Tina Braham
Production: Electra Fotopoulou / Fernanda Garcia Lopez / Diane Agelius
Technical Supervisors: Joao Rema / Jeremy Howdin
Animation: Sheetal Thankey / Mark Abbott / Brad Purnell / Brian Neong San / Nancy Li / Aaron McDonald / Josh Trotter
Compositing: Brad Purnell
Editing: David Slade
Post Production: Cosmo Street Editorial
Online: Cosmo In-house
Flame Artist: Nico Cragnolino
Producer: Idalia Deshon
Managing Partner/Executive Producer: Yvette Cobarrubias
Audio Post Production: Mr. Bronx
Mix + Sound Design: Geoff Strasser
Executive Producer: Lauren Flack
Music: Found Objects
ECD: Trevor Gureckis
ECD: Jay Wadley
Creative Director: Ben Marshall
Executive Producer: Jennie Armon
Head of Production: Matt Nelson
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/headspace-launches-first-tv-ad-offering-a-year-of-free-subscription-for-the-unemployed/