Kids Help Phone and McCann Canada Turn The Beatles’ “Help!” Into an Anthem for Gen Z
In a striking fusion of pop culture and public health messaging, Kids Help Phone has launched a new mental health awareness campaign that reimagines The Beatles’ classic “Help!” for a generation growing up online.
The Canadian nonprofit, which provides free and confidential mental health support to young people, partnered with McCann Canada and Spanish director Ernest Desumbila to create a cinematic short film blending live action with vivid CGI. The spot uses surreal, emotionally charged imagery to capture the experience of reaching out for help during moments of crisis.
In one scene, a diary springs to life to embrace a lonely teenager. In another, a grieving father dissolves into stardust. These metaphors aren’t just artistic flourishes—they’re drawn directly from the words of young people who have contacted Kids Help Phone. The creative team mined more than 50 million anonymized conversations to ensure the campaign’s visuals were rooted in authentic experiences.
The scale of the need is sobering. Since 2020, Kids Help Phone has handled over 22 million interactions with youth. Nearly half of last year’s callers said they might have kept their struggles to themselves if the service didn’t exist. The data also reveals troubling trends: Black and Indigenous youth are disproportionately seeking help, reports of sexual abuse are rising—often from first-time disclosures—and one in five calls now involves economic stress.
The campaign’s media strategy is as ambitious as its creative vision. The film will appear on Netflix, TikTok, YouTube, and even within Roblox, alongside a nationwide out-of-home push and AI-powered ad targeting. The aim is to meet young people where they already spend their time—whether streaming, scrolling, or gaming.
By remixing a 1960s anthem into a digital-age lifeline, Kids Help Phone is betting that healthcare advertising can be both culturally resonant and clinically impactful. In an era where mental health crises among youth are surging, the campaign’s message is clear: asking for help is not just okay—it’s powerful.
“Help means everything, because every feeling deserves a place to go,” says Rebecca Stutley, KHP’s group head and executive vice president, brand, storytelling and communications. “For over 36 years, we’ve been a trusted space where youth across Canada can ‘Feel Out Loud’ and reach us 24/7 for free, confidential and multilingual mental health support by phone, text, or online chat. Our new film brings KHP’s promise to life, amplifying youth voices and visualising help in all sizes, reminding us that no issue is too big, and no feeling is too small.”
