The Hi Vis Stress Vest

Fight or Flight

Client: St John Ambulance

Nearly a third of construction workers describe their current state as “struggling”, “overwhelmed” or “suicidal”, and yet 7 in 10 builders say it is ‘too difficult’ to talk to a depressed colleague. These are the alarming headlines from recent mental health research by St John Ambulance.

In a ‘tough guy’ industry, we had to find a creative way to start a conversation about the importance of mental health training. So we chose to use the very thing that is most visible on site to tell our story, turning the hi vis vest into the Hi Vis Stress Vest. The limited-edition vest designs were inspired by the most cited triggers for mental health raised in our research – from financial worries and ill-health through to grief and peer pressure. Six statements graced the back of our vests, powerful messages once hidden now highly visible – for example, ‘I’m too tired for this tough guy act’, ‘No one will miss me when I am gone’.

We told our story by partnering with hero talent, including TV builder, Tommy Walsh, creating an emotive video, sharing the vests with construction influencers, taking the story to B2B media and beyond. Generating 400 pieces of coverage not only in the key verticals but in tier one consumer media and reaching 400,000 employees and employers with our content.

The Hi Vis Stress Vests turned PPE into a POV, and made an important, hidden conversation, a bit more hi vis.