Uni-ball, one of the UK’s leading brands of writing instruments, is tackling the student stress crisis by launching ‘Creative Escapes’, its new brand campaign. From April, the www.GoCreativeEscape.co.uk microsite will go live, providing students the tools to use ‘creativity as therapy’ to help improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Created and executed by Orbital Media, the campaign aims to increase creativity through simple drawing or writing tutorials, and, ultimately, lower stress levels. Focusing on simplistic creativity in the present moment can provide immediate distraction from negative emotion, and instead enhance balance and flow – similar to that of a meditative state. Working with some of the UK’s finest creative writers and artists, including Ella Johnston, Louise Allen and Scott Walker, Orbital Media has designed and produced an extensive number of video tutorials and easy to follow, quick creative exercises for all capabilities.

Creative Escapes is initially a six-month focused campaign that will be promoted via the brand’s extensive social media channels, incorporating multi-platform advertising, Facebook Live, Facebook and Instagram stories, as well as gamification, competitions, and targeted influencer centric collaborations.

The campaign has been warmly received by some of the UK’s leading major multiple retailers where extensive POS will be displayed.

Hayden Allen-Vercoe, COO at Orbital Media, says: “The student mental health crisis is bigger than we may imagine. One study suggests that 49% of students feel stressed out on a daily basis. There are various factors that contribute to this problem – as well as academic pressures, this is a generation that tends to spend more time plugged into technology, and less time experiencing the real world. The Creative Escapes campaign provides a perfect mix of online content to deliver engagement and consumer awareness, as well as the inspiration and resources to promote offline creativity and emotional balance. There is also scope to extend the campaign in further years, by deploying a bespoke app, driving adoption within schools and colleges, and attracting more creative talent, who are keen to support this socially responsible initiative.’

Paul Smith, Director of Sales and Marketing at Mitsubishi Pencil.Co.UK Ltd, says: “It’s been proven that we can use the benefits of writing and drawing to express our creative sides to reduce stress and get in touch with our feelings. Creativity is a form of mindfulness that offers a welcome escape from too much screen time. It is also the ideal antidote to relieve the pressures associated with the exams season. Communicating this important message with our target demographic of students is the perfect way to encourage them to enhance their emotional wellbeing, educate about Uni-ball’s vast product range and benefits, and ultimately, deliver increased sales.”

The post Orbital Media tackles student stress with Uni-ball appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Providing meditation classes – which many companies now do – is fantastic, but the lack of apt space to meditate daily, at times when we need it, is still a big issue for many people. In practice it’s the biggest obstacle for people sticking with a regular meditation habit or getting the sleep they need to combat stress and anxiety.

Yinshi Pods’s solution is to retrofit these spaces into buildings and provide the privacy and security that people need for sleep and meditation. Yinshi Pods is looking for a partner to trial one of its meditation pods for a month, for free, to see if it’s something that people will use. To test how it’s used, how often it’s used, and get some general feedback. They believe it will be of huge value to any organisation and their wellness offering. Not only is it creating a space to calm, sooth and increase happiness and productivity, improve creativity, and reduce stress of your team, they’ve also ensured the design will further enhance the aesthetic of its environment.

A cubicle of calm just moments away.

They provide calming, private spaces where people feel comfortable enough to relax into a deep and soothing meditation or nap. Without the worry of being judged, observed or interrupted. Stress is driving us into an early grave, with a staggering 59% of employees experiencing harmful effects from high-stress. Meditation is proven to reduce stress – by making the amygdala less reactive and improving our emotional regulation. But how many workplaces have suitable spaces to meditate? We’re helping people and cities to be calmer and happier, by improving access to meditation and rest.

Key stats and info;

• YouGov Poll, 2018 – via The Guardian found that 74% of people (rising to 83% among 18-24 yo) have at some point felt so stressed that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
• Vitality ‘Health at Work’ survey, 2017 found that the average number of annual working days per staff member lost to absenteeism or presenteeism has risen from 23 to 30.
• Aetna study that showed “on average, mindfulness participants gained 62 minutes of productivity a week, which is an estimated $3,000-per-employee increase in productivity for the company each year. https://hbr.org/2015/12/the-busier-you-are-the-more-you-need-mindfulness
• Only 36% of employers offer wellbeing programmes considered “beyond the traditional”, including mindfulness, work-life balance and financial fitness Deloitte 2018 Human Capital Trends Report Gen Y’ers choose quality of work life over financial benefits. http://fortune.com/2016/04/08/fidelity-millennial-study-career/

Looking for a space to calm, sooth, increase happiness and productivity? Yinshi Pods do exactly that and are looking for a partner to trial their meditation pod – completely free. Contact leigh@citycalm.me for more info.

The post Yinshi Pods seek partner to trial new meditation pod appeared first on IPM Bitesize.