When Friends Struggle With Depression, This App Helps Avoid Potentially Harmful Phrases

We all want to help friends who are struggling, so it’s a natural human impulse to send them a quick note of support. However, because many don’t understand the depth and seeming inescapability of depression, those well intentioned words can often have an unhealthy effect.

To help address this common problem, agency BBDO Bangkok and Samsung created a smartphone app called “Predict to Prevent,” which uses predictive phrasing to spot when you’re about to send a potentially harmful message and instead suggests a more supportive phrase.

Currently with language support for English and Thai, the app works with every messaging platform, according to BBDO Bangkok. The app uses a database of more than 100,000 phrases, covering a wide range of comments that could come across as negative or judgmental rather than truly supportive.

CREDITS:

Client: Thai Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Agency: BBDO Bangkok
Chairman and Chief Creative Officer: Suthisak Sucharittanonta
Deputy Chief Creative Officer: Anuwat Nitipanont
Creative Director: Pitha Udomkanjananan
Associate Creative Director: Nattagorn Thairattanasuwan
Creative Group head: Thiti Boonkerd
Senior Copywriter: Vasinee Poungngern
Senior Art Director: Charnpanu Suchaxaya
Copywriter: Manamai Rodpetch
Group Client Service Director: Taksina Vasaruchapong
Group Account Director: Ruengrawee Lertdejdecha
Account Director: Tanyawan Wongapichart

David Griner

@griner

David Griner is creative and innovation editor for Adweek. He's been covering agencies, creativity, technology and marketing innovation for more than a decade and is host of Adweek's podcast.