A PSA campaign by Pixeldust for Boys Town on youth depression, showing teens concrete steps they can take to get help.
Teens who are struggling with depression can spot a corporate message from a mile away. Boys Town, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about depression in young people, and its agency, August, Lang & Husak, asked Pixeldust for a series of ads that would feel honest instead: real teens, their real thoughts, and the concrete steps they can take to start feeling better.
Pixeldust answered with a naturalistic, indie look that pairs live-action actors with hand-drawn animated line work, so each spot plays like a page out of a teenager’s own head.
Everyday stories
To reach teens who struggle with depression, Pixeldust avoided a corporate look in favor of a naturalistic, indie style that combines animated line drawings with live-action footage. Each spot is driven by a teen’s inner thoughts as they work out concrete steps toward feeling better.
The teens were filmed on green screen, rotoscoped and composited into illustrated scenes, with gestural flourishes and creative transitions that bring their words to life.
One teen describes his problems as bricks in his backpack. As he explores why life has felt so heavy, he smashes the bricks one by one, letting go of his hang-ups to lighten the load.
Amid all the talk of “getting back to normal,” a teenage girl questions what normal even means. Trying on outfit after outfit in front of her mirror, she decides to stop looking back and move forward, discovering who she is today.
A young woman takes inventory of her life and makes a plan: do less of what doesn’t help, and more of what supports her mental well-being.
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