Maybelline New York and Wattpad Team Up for Third Annual #BraveTogether Campaign For Mental Health Awareness
Through the partnership, three influential Wattpad authors have released exclusive bonus chapters focused on fictional stories of mental health and resilience
TORONTO and NEW YORK, June 8, 2023 – Maybelline New York, the world's leading cosmetics brand, and Wattpad, a leading webnovel platform, today shared details of their third annual #BraveTogether campaign to help destigmatize conversations around anxiety, depression, and mental health struggles. The campaign, which kicked off in May during Mental Health Awareness Month, will continue through the end of June. This year, the companies have teamed up with three rising-star Wattpad authors to share exclusive mental health-themed bonus chapters within popular stories on the platform. Sarah L. White’s "The Senior Trip,” Cammie Grace’s “Hidden Within,” and Uvonne Onye’s “An Unexpected Girl,” each feature new bonus chapters that explore mental health, identity, self-love, and self-acceptance.
New this year, campaign bonus chapters include mini write-a-thon prompts to engage readers and promote positive conversation about mental health and resiliency. Through the end of June, readers are able to share their favorite form of self-care, how they manage their mental health, and advice they would offer to someone struggling.
Readers can also support the 2023 #BraveTogether collaboration by reading, commenting on, or even clicking ads on Wattpad. Through advertising partner Givsly’s Good Advertising Platform, Wattpad will donate to the JED Foundation each time readers click an ad on the platform. Readers can also support by commenting on #BraveTogether bonus chapters. This year the campaign will donate $15,000 to mental health nonprofits. For every comment submitted, Wattpad will donate $1 USD (up to $2,000 USD per chapter) towards mental health nonprofits NAMI, Crisis Text Line, and Sad Girls Club.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Wattpad for the third year in a row to continue the conversation,” said Jessie Feinstein, SVP US Marketing, Maybelline. “Though we’ve come a long way in the last few years, there is still a stigma around mental health - with an average of 85 million people who use the platform every month, the size and scale of Wattpad’s massive community is what makes this initiative so impactful.”
“Mental health stigma impacts everyone, and can make people feel alone in the world,” said Kelly O’Mara, Director of Brand Partnerships at Wattpad. “Community and connection are two of the most important reasons why millions of people around the world read and write on Wattpad, so we’re thrilled to continue our work with Maybelline to bring people together, and show that being online isn’t being alone.”
Since 2021, the Maybelline and Wattpad #BraveTogether campaign has reached thousands of readers across the US, raising more than $75,000 for charity, generating over 125k reads on stories supporting mental health awareness, and nearly 130M impressions across social media. The 2022 campaign was a Bronze Honoree in the 14th Annual Shorty Awards and was nominated for a Digiday Content Marketing Award. The 2023 campaign has seen impressive engagement since launching last month with over 111K story reads and 2.5K comments to date.
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About Wattpad
Wattpad’s vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. A leading webnovel platform and home to a community averaging 85 million people who spend over 23 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories, Wattpad has democratized storytelling for a new generation of diverse Gen Z writers and their fans. Alongside Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, the company’s TV, film, and publishing counterparts, Wattpad combines art and science to unearth incredible stories and cultivate the fandoms driving the future of entertainment. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada.
About Maybelline New York
Maybelline New York is the number one cosmetic brand in the world, available in over 120 countries. By combining technologically advanced formulas with on-trend expertise and New York City edge, Maybelline New York's mission is to offer innovative, accessible, and effortless cosmetics for all. In 2020, Maybelline introduced Brave Together, a long-term program to support anxiety and depression and help everyone, everywhere to bravely take on their world. Brave Together provides critical one-on-one support, an online education hub, a variety of programming to help destigmatize the conversation around mental health and has committed to donate $10 million over the next five years to global and local organizations. For more information log on to www.maybelline.com or www.maybelline.com/bravetogether.