Shoot the $h*t

Did you know that men account for 4 out of every 5 suicides? And that men who owned handguns were 8 times more likely than men who didn’t to die of self-inflicted gunshot wounds? Cactus, the Denver-based creative agency, has decided to go right to the heart of the problem and is partnering with gun ranges to get a message in front of gun owners to take their mental health just as seriously as firearm safety.

Entitled “Shoot the Shit”, this effort is the latest iteration of the long-running Man Therapy campaign: a platform designed to reach men through humor that highlights maladaptive ideas of masculinity to offer education and resources for men in crisis.

Instead of isolating gun owners, Cactus is embracing the group to encourage them to take their mental health as seriously as gun safety during Suicide Prevention Month this September.

“Shoot the Shit” consists of a hero :60 spot, along with additional assets, such as OOH posters, social and digital.
The spot opens with Dr. Mahogany, a Ron Burgundy-esque character, who states “According to science, 10 out of 10 men have feelings.”

With a humorous, yet serious tone, Dr. Mahogany walks onto a gun range, highlighting some of the feelings that men struggle with (each punctuated with a gunshot).

From there he introduces Man Therapy’s shootable mental health assessments that put the biggest issues men face right in the “crosshairs.”

Dr. Mahogany takes aim and has a perfect round. He ends the spot encouraging men to head to ManTherapy.org if their results are different than his, or if they’re feeling “a little off target.”

Cactus will be distributing the targets IRL to gun ranges across Colorado. The targets will also be available to purchase online.

Cactus built a custom media plan to reach these “gun-owning” guys based on their behavior. For example, they are often heavy users of social media, online video, and streaming TV and have lots of “drive time.”

Cactus is also distributing bar coasters at restaurants and bars within close proximity of gun ranges to meet gun-owning guys where they are and help initiate the mental health conversation.

Man Therapy is a proven, turnkey campaign to help support the mental health and well-being of men.

On the Man Therapy website men can experience Dr. Rich Mahogany, take the 18-point head inspection and get connected to tools and resources such as therapy providers, recovery programs and a wide range of mental health tools.
The platform has seen resounding success, so much so that multiple states and even Australia have launched their own versions.