Rugby star Marler fronting nationwide campaign urging men to open up

New research has found that while 85% of British men say their friends are some of the most important people in their lives, 62% have never told a mate they love them and 90% admit to never talking about anything serious.

So to address this, Beavertown - who commissioned the research - has partnered with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to launch ‘Tell a Mate Why You Love Them’.

Fronted by real life friends Marler and Chris Stark, the campaign was launched in London - as rugby star Marler surprised Stark with a public declaration of love by rolling down an eight by 10 metre sign over the side of the Wallis Road bridge in Hackney Wick, close to London’s iconic Olympic Park.

This sign displayed his appreciation for their friendship loud and clear reading, “I LOVE YOU CHRIS STARK - YOUR MATE, JOE MARLER”. You can watch their reveal moment at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Q2eVuiPXwww

Beavertown’s research shows that two thirds of men (67%) think their mental health would benefit if they were able to open up more to their mates, and Joe’s declaration serves as a rallying cry to men everywhere to step beyond the awkwardness and tell their friends what they mean to them.

Commenting on the launch CALM Ambassador Joe Marler, said: “I love Chris, but I’ve never told him. Hopefully printing it on a massive sign gets the message across. Men care about their mates, but we don’t always say it out loud and 54% of us think “it's not the done thing”. Saying ‘I love you’ doesn’t have to be as extreme as I’ve done it, but my mates have helped me through tough times, and if you love someone, you should say it.”

A huge 73% of men would like to go beyond conversations about surface level topics to have deeper conversations with their mates, but rather than doing this the research shows that around the same amount (76%) admitted that they are more likely to hide their affections for their mates in ‘banter’. When they do want to show they care, 39% buy their mates a pint, while 36% give an awkward ‘man hug’, fist bump (27%) or give them a high five (24%).

With that in mind, alongside Joe and Chris, Beavertown has helped real-life mates across the country say “I love you” to their best friends for the first time.

Including a personalised billboard from Kofi to his friend Jack near their old house in Streatham; a four-foot Hollywood-style letter message overlooking the Glasgow skyline as Adam surprised childhood friend Ciaran; fake band posters plastering Camden with messages of love from PJ to his best mate Mandeep; and a one-of-a-kind Bradford curry house reveal, where a giant menu banner declared love from Leon to Ryan.

Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, added: “Strong friendships can be a lifeline, yet many men struggle to open up to those closest to them. The real-life stories featured in this campaign show how expressing appreciation can strengthen bonds and have a positive impact on mental health. Working with Beavertown to encourage men to take that first step is a simple but powerful way to highlight the value of friendship.”

Jochen Van Esch, Managing Director at Beavertown, said: “Pubs bring mates together, but conversations often stay on the surface. Over the past few years we have worked with CALM to break the norms around mental health in order to help people open up to their friends, whether that’s taking up a new skill like climbing, a packet of crisps designed to start a chat and now a public declaration of love for your friend. So take a mate for a pint, and tell him how you feel - it could make all the difference.”

Until 22nd February, Beavertown is giving away 5,000 free pints through the DUSK app to encourage Brits to invite friends to the pub and say “love you, mate” in person.