CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and Theobald Fox partner to launch new #MANDICTIONARY campaign, raising awareness for award winning male suicide charity.

CALM, with the help of Theobald Fox – the full service creative agency – have launched a nationwide campaign aimed at raising awareness for the award winning suicide charity. 12 men a day take their own lives in the UK, a staggering statistic, and one that deserves more attention.

CALM believe that there is a cultural barrier preventing men from seeking help; they are expected to be in control at all times, and failure to be seen as such equates to weakness and a loss of masculinity. Communication is key to this so CALM wanted to get more men talking, believing that they can keep men alive by doing so.

Theobald Fox were tasked with engaging a wide audience across the country, to get a conversation going in a light-hearted way, one that is fun and genuinely engaging but with the sort of serious message behind it fitting for a suicide charity.

The simple idea behind the campaign is to increase men’s vocabulary, with new words relating specifically to awkward, annoying, joyous or sad situations, behaviours or stereotypes. With a healthy blend of serious and funny, thought provoking and mildly crude, the campaign sets out to make people laugh, engage and take away a simple message about the work of CALM.

Thanks to the ongoing generosity and support of leading outdoor advertising agency, JCDecaux, #mandictionary will be seen on posters across the country, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Budding lexicographers are tasked to make entries worthy of becoming an ad or being part of the #mandictionary itself, the form of which is yet to be decided.

CALM’s Assistant Director, Rachel Clare, said: “At CALM we work hard on breaking down the barriers to men seeking support when they hit a crisis, and challenge a culture that equates asking for help with weakness or loss of masculinity. The #mandictionary project is an accessible, inclusive and entertaining way of raising questions about masculinity and what men expect of themselves and each other, giving men the opportunity to define themselves on their own terms. We hope that this campaign will not only engage a new audience and raise awareness of CALM and the work we do in male suicide prevention, but will also encourage healthy debate across the country about what it means to be a man in society today, and get men talking about the issues that matter to them.”

Theobald Fox’s Creative Director, Pete Owen, said: “Working with a forward thinking charity like CALM is always a pleasure. Their message is strong and they are not afraid of pushing boundaries. Engaging people and asking them to get involved is a great way and this campaign is clever enough, funny enough and all the while serious enough for it to work with everyone for a real purpose. Look out for the posters and check the hashtag regularly for user generated gems for the #mandictionary. This is an evolving campaign and a very exciting one”

Get involved, create your definition and post it to social media using the #mandictionary hashtag and help CALM keep men alive by talking.

To see a live aggregation of all entries made by the public, volunteers and influencers visit: thecalmzone.net/mandictionary/