Mental health masterclass for Marketing students

An annual digital marketing symposium held at the University of Reading brought together business and marketing students with experts who share the latest digital marketing tools, skills, and insights. The event held on Monday 7^th March and this year was focused on the theme of Mental Health Marketing.

Danny Wright, Senior Comms and Content Manager at the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) delivered this year’s Mindset Minute – a segment within the program where industry leaders share personal stories to inspire students. Wright was involved in CALM charity’s recently partnership with Netflix around the launch of the third series of Reading born, Rick Gervais' popular show After Life. Speaking to students, Wright explained about how CALM worked with the broadcaster to install benches around the country to promote positive discussions about mental health.

Danny Wright said:

"I'm delighted to be part of this brilliant initiative. At CALM we're all about connecting with other people and I hope I can inspire the students to think creatively about how they communications can really make a genuine difference in people’s lives."

The third annual digital marketing symposium – Digital Disruption 3 (DD3) was hosted by Reading University Marketing Society and supported by Nick Walker, a lecturer from the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development.

Digital Disruption 3 combined a series of comprehensive, hands-on digital marketing masterclasses to improve understanding of digital marketing tools, as well as providing useful insight and talks delivered by marketing professionals as they share their inspiring stories. Other speakers for 2022 included Diane Greenlee, who has worked in digital marketing with mental health charities.

Nick Walker, Lecturer in Applied Economics & Marketing at the University of Reading said:

“This year’s theme - Mental Health Marketing – shines a light on digital marketers in the mental health space who have redoubled their efforts during the Covid 19 pandemic when demands for mental health services spiked and people searched for help online.

“This symposium will give students and staff alike, the opportunity to engage with the digital marketers on the frontline who have been working tirelessly to ensure that websites appear on Google for keywords that indicate a mental health crisis – keywords used to create social media campaigns that engage audiences in need of empathy and support.” 

The event was organised by the Reading University Marketing Society with support from the School of Agriculture Policy and Development (SAPD) and partners including the Henley Business School and the University of Reading’s Careers team.