On World Teen Mental Wellness Day (3/2), the Ad Council has unveiled the latest expansion of its “Love, Your Mind” initiative with a new effort that will make mental health something teens can more easily talk about, celebrate and share. To help put mental health back in teens’ hands, the Ad Council is collaborating with teen and young adult creators, as well as leading social and digital platforms, to introduce a new word, “zill,” which is defined as any action to show love to your mind on good, bad, or whatever days.
According to Ad Council research fielded in December 2025, 70% of teens say they’ve experienced mental health struggles in the last six months, yet more than half (56%) don’t feel very knowledgeable about what actively caring for their mental health can look like. Many teens feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of mental health messaging, which is often conflicting and framed in terms of struggles, and they lack a broader understanding of mental health and the everyday ways they can and do care for their minds.
“Teens told us loud and clear: they don’t want another lecture about mental health,” said Lisa, president and CEO, the Ad Council. “They want language and tools that feel real to them. We’re thrilled to collaborate with teens themselves to offer them a way to name the everyday actions that support their well-being so they can look out for themselves and each other.”
Through co-creation sessions, testing and creative exploration, zill–inspired by the word “resilience”–emerged as a word that felt flexible and empowering. To bring zill to life, an initial cohort of teen and young adult creators who shape culture are sharing their own everyday ways of showing love to their minds and inviting their audiences to do the same. Across social media platforms, @LetsZill accounts will deliver ongoing education, inspiration and resources designed with teens’ voices at the center.
The effort also includes new short films capturing real moments of zilling from teens’ lives–including dancing, fishing, stargazing, laughing with a friend, and taking a moment to breathe. Directed by the duo Mister via Greenpoint Pictures and developed pro bono by BBDO New York, the films highlight that caring for your mind can look different for everyone. In this “Zill is laughing” film, two girls hang out (upside down) and share a laugh.
“From day one, we knew this couldn’t feel like a traditional campaign,” said Mikayla Lapierre and Laura Vancil, BBDO New York creative directors, in a joint statement. “Teens don’t want to be patronized, they want agency. By co-creating with them, we learned how to show up in their world, on their terms. We are proud to help bring zill to life because it gives young people a way to care for their minds that feels entirely theirs.”
Per the Ad Council’s model, the creative will run nationwide in donated media across broadcast TV, online video, cinema, audio and digital media platforms, including support from BDG Media Inc, Cluep, GameSafer, Kargo, Paramount, Screenvision Media, SiriusXM Media, Super League Enterprise Inc, TikTok, Whistle and Vevo. Media agency Initiative, also part of Omnicom, provided media strategy and partner outreach support.
Campaign content points to zill.org, a brand-new digital experience built around peer-to-peer learning. Teens can explore ways to zill through videos and audio created by peers and vetted by mental health experts. The hub was developed with rigorous privacy and security protections, and gamified features encourage habit building and ongoing self-reflection.
