McCann Health and The Ideas Foundation break world record

The Guinness World Records has awarded McCann Torre Lazur - a McCann Health Company based in New Jersey, US - the world record for The Orange Project, the largest online album of handwritten notes.

Teaming up with UK-based, youth-focused organisation The Ideas Foundation, McCann Tore Lazur rolled out a worldwide creative competition - The Orange Project - asking teens how they would prefer to communicate about suicide.

Handwritten notes were the solution developed by a team from Kingston College, leading to the production over 34,000 notes of ‘encouraging’ messages for those struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts.

The project itself emphasised the importance of ‘real connections’ by stripping away technology to help remove the stigma attached to mental health.

The work was assisted by the Creative Floor Healthcare Awards, which awarded The Ideas Foundation with a bursary from its talent and diversity fund.

Shaheed Peera, founder of The Creative Floor, said: “Our award aims to raise money towards helping more diversity and underprivileged talent into the advertising industry.

“This just proves that diversity is the key to ground breaking and now world record breaking work.”

McCann Torre Lazur kicked off the project back in 2016, when a team of employees volunteered to collect the handwritten notes.

Schools across the world were then invited to incorporate The Orange Project into their curriculum.

Commenting on the project, Heather MacRae, managing director from The Ideas Foundation, said: “This might be one of the most impactful programmes we have ever done.

“We were worried that the brief might have seen as too dark but in reality the students had an opportunity to work through the research into suicide and also help their peers recognise the warning signs and help available.

“The funding from The Creative Floor Healthcare Awards enabled us to work in a number of schools and colleges.”