Like Minds, Like Mine: the campaign against stigma and discrimination (A) 2007-79.1

Like Minds, Like Mine national manager Gerard Vaughan pressed “play” on the video in his Ministry of Health office in Wellington and once again reviewed the television advertisements prepared for the third phase of nationwide New Zealand project to counter discrimination associated with mental illness. It was early 2003 and Vaughan knew his media campaign was at a crossroads. The first two phases, a risky step into very new territory for mental health, had been highly successful. While some people who experienced mental illness felt the campaign had made positive changes to their lives, others felt the ads were at risk of creating a celebrity cult where high-profile New Zealanders had been used in the first stages. Still others felt that there had been a focus on “nice mental illnesses”. Vaughan was confident the latest series addressed most of the issues, but there were still debate about the best approach.

This case can be used to explore concepts of public value, stakeholder relationships, and social marketing. Part A gives an overview of mental health services in New Zealand and phases one and two of the Like Minds, Like Mine campaign.

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• Part B describes the later phases of the campaign and ongoing support and opposition.
• Postscript offers an example of prevailing public attitudes towards people with severe mental illnesses that the campaign had been trying to address.