With drip coffee and mental health mooncakes, Shanghai Mental Health Center breaks taboos

Partnering with Chinese coffee brand Yongpu, Shanghai Mental Health Center (SMHC) is releasing a co-branded drip coffee bag packaged like traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Weibo campaign supporting the product launch draws inspiration from TCM pharmacies and features playful taglines offering mental health advice, framing the coffee as a "medical recipe." On WeChat, Yongpu's mascot tells a story about feeling down and normalizing seeking help. The drip coffee bags are available for purchase from September 2024.

The coffee collaboration isn't the only lifestyle activation SMHC has engaged in. For Mid-Autumn Festival, which was celebrated on September 17th this year, SMHC also released limited-edition mental health mooncakes. The naming is a wordplay on the words for mental health in Chinese, which is "精神病" or jīng shén bìng. Since their debut in 2021, the mental health mooncakes have become a cultural staple. Only SMHC employees can directly purchase the mooncakes, but they have become highly sought-after by all consumers.

The latest data from the World Health Organization estimates that 95 million people in China suffer from depression and/or anxiety disorders. Beyond that, many young people are simply exhausted by the country's pace of life. However, although mental health is no longer the taboo it once was, it hasn't been fully normalized, either.

Through lighthearted yet meaningful lifestyle activations and partnerships, SMHC is pushing for more open conversations around psychological wellbeing and seeking help. The lifestyle collaborations serve as casual conversation starters and paint the topic in a less daunting light; those who are struggling are encouraged to open up, and allies have an easier time broaching the subject and holding space for those who need it.

Can your brand break taboos and kickstart challenging conversations through lighthearted cultural tokens?