How influencers can give public health the Stanley Quencher treatment 

The crisis of unregulated social media, and its effect on the mental health of our kids, is finally getting the unanimous political traction it deserves. But the road to regulation is long, and we must harness the viral power of these digital ecosystems for public health right now.  

We have the playbook, thanks to the unexpected viral sensation that is the Stanley Quencher, a once-unremarkable water bottle now flooding TikTok feeds everywhere. 

Stanley transformed itself via strategic partnerships with social media influencers, convincing consumers to buy a mind-blowing $750 million worth of Stanley Cups in 2023. 

The $16 billion global influencer marketing industry is often portrayed as churning out videos exclusively for profit. But many creators see their audiences as communities and their presence online as an avenue to do good — something we saw firsthand at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Creators Summit on Mental Health last year.  

Mental health content creators like Bryce Spencer-Jones and Sasha Hamdani have cultivated digital-based communities that offer refuge and solidarity in these increasingly isolated times. Their communities grant them respect, gratitude and, yes, even influence for serving the community and its mission.  

In an era where young people increasingly get their news and information from social media and videos tagged #mentalhealth have drawn tens of billion views, showing the undeniable appetite for mental health information on these platforms, these creators are poised to help public health disseminate evidence-based science that will better serve our collective well-being. 

Spencer-Jones, Hamdai and the other creators who worked with us at Harvard showed us what public health-creator collaboration might make possible: Better online health information ecosystems. More equitable access to health information. And real-world policy change. 

Creators, we found, will make more evidence-based health content if we give them access to experts and evidence, just as we do for the leaders of physical communities. 

Our first-of-its-kind field study on TikTok showed that creators who were exposed to our health communication toolkits were significantly more likely to share evidence-based content, compared to creators not exposed to these materials. What’s more, creators who had access to our materials actually saw their content get millions more views on TikTok than before.  

Creators also offer a much-needed avenue to move our nation’s $24 billion annual public investment in academic research on health beyond the ivory tower and into the spaces where young people get their information. In a world where healthcare access is fragmented and unattainable for vulnerable populations, creators offer an invaluable pipeline for public health to connect and serve the people who need help the most. 

And finally, collaboration between academics and creators offers a way to catalyze policy changes that will protect public health. We saw this in action last year when the state of New York became the first in the nation to limit kids’ access to over-the-counter diet pills and muscle-building supplements. These products are associated with eating disorders and other mental health issues and this victory for public health was the result of years of painstaking advocacy. 

But it might not have happened if not for a last-minute public pressure campaign by the creators in Harvard’s program, which generated five times more constituent support and messaging to state representatives compared to public health campaigns for similar legislation in the past.  

If we think of influencers only as advertisers, this idea is surely uncomfortable. But wade through that discomfort long enough to watch these creators’ TikToks and Instagram Reels and you’ll find passionate public health advocates. Watched and trusted by millions. Who can tell stories in ways that move people to improve the health of their communities. Not just sell a rainbow of Stanley water bottles. 

Kate Speer is a marketing executive, mental health advocate and content creator. Amanda Yarnell is the senior director of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health Communication and an instructor in its Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.