Anti-Stigma (Substance Abuse) Campaign
Knox County Health Department was seeing an alarming surge in drug-related fatalities and needed to take quick action to combat the prevailing misconceptions surrounding substance abuse to get people to speak up, take action and find the help they need.
With the understanding that dispelling preconceived notions about addiction would be a challenge, the campaign needed to educate not only individuals directly impacted by addiction but also the wider public, emphasizing the commonality and achievability of recovery. Our approach had to be both skillful and heartfelt to effectively communicate our message. The strategy required a messaging framework that was broad but inclusive to resonate with diverse audiences and needed to exude a hopeful, optimistic mood. Ensuring empathy for those on the path to recovery was a key consideration when developing messaging.
We established the message “recovery is not only possible but also a beautiful journey and help is all around” as the heart of the campaign.
Our campaign took a multifaceted approach, infused with a raw human element to authentically promote acceptance and serve as an inspiration for those grappling with addiction, or those who have witnessed its effects on others. The core concept behind our graphic, audio and video content was to convey the powerful themes of hope, support and recovery. We captured authentic testimonials from individuals who had faced addiction and navigated the recovery process. The testimonials served as the cornerstone of our warm and heartfelt creative design, aiming to connect with viewers on a deeply emotional level.
With awareness as the primary goal, we opted for a blend of high impression, low CTR digital channels and hybrid OOH options — Programmatic (Display, Native, Video), YouTube, LinkedIn, Podcasts and Cinema.
We strategically promoted three different creative groups. The first, “Hope is All Around You,” features a heartwarming image portraying a family in a mundane outing, highlighting the idea that success stories are all around us. This creative also mentions tools available to help along the road to recovery, serving as a call to action to learn more about the next steps in the journey.
The second group, “Recovery is All Around You,” portrayed two individuals in the workplace — one in the recovery process and the other whose sister is in recovery. It aimed to address the often unseen or overlooked reality that recovery is present in people and situations around you.
And finally, the third group, “You’re Surrounded by Support.” This set heavily featured video creative of the individuals who gave their testimonials together and portrayed what it means to have true support and acceptance in your life and journey.
Results
We achieved a key goal in the campaign: reach a large Knox County population to spread awareness, at a cost-effective CPM. With a total media spend and campaign goal that necessitated efficiency and efficacy, we saw a total of 1,367,164 impressions and an extremely low CPM of $1.18.
Programmatic (Display/Native/Video) delivered over 504,000 impressions and 853 clicks, Programmatic Audio delivered 190,002 impressions generating 137 clicks and a 82.93% completion rate and YouTube delivered strong results with 222,466 impressions with 108,456 video views and 430 clicks.
Out of home, our cinema as over-delivered by 20% with a follow-up retargeting campaign, yielding 442,154 impressions and 428 clicks across 18,347 on screen ad runs. Pre-roll ads were featured on movies like “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” Disney’s “Wish,” “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” “Napoleon,” “Five Nights At Freddy’s” and “Trolls.”
