At 9.12pm on the 30th July, CALM took over the ad break on UKTV Channel, Dave, as part of Dave and CALM’s year-long #BeTheMateYoudWant campaign to celebrate International Friendship Day.
Instead of hitting mute the moment that Taskmaster takes a break, you hopefully saw the first ever Comedy Festival In An Ad Break. You might think four minutes isn’t enough time for a comedy festival, but a lineup of 17 comedians, including Zoe Lyons, Ed Gamble, Lou Sanders and Stevie Martin, are ready to prove you wrong. They shared a whole host of hilarious tales about their friendships – making, breaking and maintaining them. Watch the ad in full below…
The CALM x Dave partnership kicked off in November with their first ever Ad Takeover. CALM then followed up with a whole host of adverts across TV, print, radio and social media, that encouraged audiences to reach out to their pals. The campaign also introduced ALAN, a simple, shareable acronym to help make checking in on a buddy a little easier. The launch of Top 20 podcast hosted by Twitter’s @Technically Ron and Lauren Pattison came next in 2019. Conversations Against Living Miserably takes a lighter look at coping with life’s worst moments with guest appearances from Zoe Lyons, Elis James and Matt Richardson.
The #BeTheMateYoudWant campaign centres around the idea that small gestures from a friend can be a lifeline for someone who is going through a tough time. The ad takeover and subsequent promos will encourage people to do something to show a mate that they’re there for them.
“We’re delighted to bring the next exciting phase of the Be the mate you’d want campaign to life. Comedy can be a fantastic platform for what may have traditionally been deemed difficult conversations around mental health and being there for your friends when things get tough. This partnership allows us to reach a broad audience with a funny and entertaining execution, all underpinned with an important message throughout.”
Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM
Luke Hales, Dave’s Channel Director, added: “We want to use Dave’s reach to encourage people to get in touch with friends who need a reminder that someone is thinking of them and someone cares. The Comedy Festival in an Ad Break is a unique Dave way of doing this. Funny and warm, and ultimately by encouraging men to reach out to their friends, we are supporting CALM’s mission to create a more positive and open culture when it comes to mental health.”
