SUMMARY
Channelmum.com is the UK’s fastest-growing parenting brand, providing a safe space to open up and seek support on all parenting issues. The site focuses on maternal mental health and wanted to improve visibility of its free, online counselling services. 72Point took user-generated content from Channel Mum.com of a mother suffering a panic attack and packaged it with sensitively-written survey copy to provide a highly effective news-generation package. The result was a viral story with 620 pieces of coverage across 5 countries. Driving a 670% increase in traffic on release day and a 10% increase in membership since release day.
The site receives a large volume of User Generated Content from mothers – and received this harrowing video in 2018 of a young mother who had filmed one of her panic attacks. In the minute-long video, Sophie Mei Lan from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, can be seen struggling to breathe and hysterically breaking down while attempting to hide her anguish from her family.
Channel Mum supported Sophie’s decision to publish this content and applauded her for her bravery in raising awareness of the reality of parenting with mental health issues such as anxiety and panic attacks. Channel Mum then approached 72Point to ensure that this content was expertly – and sensitively – packaged up for the mainstream media and distributed to top tier media publications who could raise awareness of Channel Mum’s free online counselling services to an international audience as well as to decrease stigma around mums struggling with mental health issues.
For more info on how we tackle mental health with ChannelMum, click here
How we did it
A multi-faceted media relations strategy was deployed to reach mass media, which included a sell-in via 72Points digital hub, traditional outreach to key contacts and a broadcast day utilising Volkswagen’s key spokespeople.
B-roll footage and a video featuring an electric car owning family and compelling imagery further aided the broadcast and digital sell-in.
50
Pieces of coverage
3.54M
Estimated coverage views
7.6k
Social shares
“We didn’t see this a PR story, we saw it as a way to get parents the help that so many need but are afraid to acknowledge or ask for. Throughout the whole process. 72Point were exemplary, handling the material with care, sensitivity and understanding – and the coverage vastly exceeded our expectations. Two months on we are still seeing daily traffic driven by the campaign.”
Siobhan Freegard, Founder of Channelmum.com
Results
The campaign achieved both extensive online and broadcast coverage and was a ‘watershed moment’ allowing mums around the UK and abroad to open up and share their experiences without fear of judgement. Following the coverage, Channel Mum’s user numbers are rising over 10% each and every month.
The project was an astounding success, securing 50 pieces of coverage in top tier news publications in the UK, United States, Australia, Indonesia and Singapore. Top UK news coverage appearing in The Daily Mail and MailOnline, The Mirror, The Independent, Metro, Daily Record, as well as top global news sites including MSN and Yahoo! as well as parenting news sites including Little Things.com, Zena.com and The Bump.com. The project encouraged positive engagement from Channel Mum’s key target audience of millennial and Gen Z parents and families with young children, especially mothers and professionals.
Most significantly, Sophie’s bravery and the sensitive handling of the story by Channel Mum and 72Point, resulted in the story being picked up by ITV’s Good Morning. Sophie appeared alongside Emma Kenny, one of Channel Mum’s top psychologists and mental health experts. Together they were able to draw on key elements of the news generation project, and reach out directly to parents about Sophie’s experience. .
670%
Spike in users visiting the site and forum
