Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) wanted to encourage conversation, reassure students that they’re not alone, and share advice on the importance of looking after mental health. This supports LBG’s focus on mental health, highlighted by its partnership with Mental Health UK and the Get The Inside Out campaign.

Working with its media agency, LBG wanted students to appreciate there is always more than one way to see things, feel and tackle life challenges. They should not feel pressured – it is about finding what works for them. This is where #MoreThanOneWay was created.
Following research into colour therapy, colour and relatable characters were used to help guide students in exploring their own mental health. It was important that the stigma was treated sensitively and appropriately. Authenticity was key, and so LBG worked closely with Mental Health UK throughout.

Numerous multiple media interactions were created to encourage and reassure students to look after their own mental health:

Instagram Story Spinner: For those struggling to de-stress and in need of a little inspiration, Instagram Stories was used to create an interactive idea generator. Options were provided depending on the time available (1min, 15mins, 1hour) and students were encouraged to find a new technique e.g ‘Dance like crazy’, ‘Have a healthy snack’ or ‘Watch a funny movie’.

Study Style Quiz: Featured on the Emerging Talent Careers website, the quiz encouraged students to experiment with different study techniques.

Uni Myth Busting animations: Five animations focused on #MoreThanOneWay to do university, reassuring students that there were multiple ways to experience university and that feelings of doubt – ‘I’m doing it wrong’ – are quite common amongst students.

Animation videos: In partnership with MHUK and Young Champions through the Step Up Programme, videos were created using characters. Focusing on ‘dealing with stress and anxiety during exam time’ and ‘the power of talking: speaking to someone’, the animations featured real student stories and encouraged viewers to talk to a loved one or seek advice on the MHUK website.

Campus: Three LED seesaws were taken to 10 universities across the UK, which allowed students to take time out of their day to enjoy themselves and share positivity. Inspirational quotation cards were distributed, with the hope of making students smile, and posters around the university encouraged students to visit the experience.

The campaign demonstrated LBG’s focus on wellbeing as part of its culture and invested time in students during a difficult and pressured time in their lives. This was a highly successful campaign producing positive results aligned to the original objectives, including a wide reach, significant increase in ROI and overwhelmingly positive feedback from students.

The campaign has continued into 2021 by updating media interactions and altering campus activities to a virtual platform ‘Feel Good Fest’.

This is an excerpt from the ISE Complete Guide to Student Recruitment and Development

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