Promoting Easier Access to Mental Health Support in Maryland
30 million impressions
generated from launch campaign
13 million impressions
generated from digital ads
68,655 clicks
from digital ads
Overview
Death by suicide is, tragically, a growing public health crisis, in Maryland and across the United States. To help combat the crisis, the federal government passed legislation in 2020 that created 988, a three-digit dialing code for crisis intervention. But many states, like Maryland, had a series of existing hotlines and needed to launch communications campaigns that would raise awareness about this new, easier-to-remember way to access help. To support 988’s launch in Maryland and continue raising awareness, we worked with the Maryland Department of Health and the Maryland State Ad Agency to develop messaging and creative materials that would resonate with diverse audiences across the state.
Challenge
In 2020, the federal government replaced the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (a 1-800 number) with 988, an easy-to-remember, three-digit dialing code. 988 was rebranded the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline before it went live across the United States on July 16, 2022, as part of a two-year transition.
As part of this transition, states needed to switch their existing mental health hotline infrastructure to the 988 number. But that was easier said than done. For several years prior, Maryland had promoted “211 Press 1” as the hotline for mental and behavioral health services. There had been a 10-digit number before that, and many counties also operated their own 10-digit hotlines. Additionally, 988 in Maryland connects the caller to both crisis intervention and supports for mental health and behavioral health, but the national branding for 988 focuses on suicide prevention.
Solution
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) wanted to promote the new lifeline and reduce confusion, making sure that people knew where to call for mental and behavioral health support. Building on our previous work for 211 Press 1, we switched gears in the spring of 2022 to create a launch campaign that would raise awareness about 988 across Maryland. Since then, we have continued to partner with the Maryland State Ad Agency and the MDH to produce creative materials for 988 promotions in Maryland.
Using Data and Past Experience for Enhanced Outreach
The Hatcher Group designed an outreach campaign that would reach all demographics from all corners of the state, from Garrett County to Worcester County. Because we had worked on 211 Press 1, the state’s mental health hotline prior to 988’s launch, we already had a solid understanding of the messaging and imagery that resonated with various key audiences in Maryland. For example, from focus groups and a survey conducted in 2021, we knew that “free” and “confidential” were key terms that helped people overcome barriers to reaching out for help. And, reviewing the call data from 211 Press 1, it was clear that women were more likely to call than men (women represented 66% of all callers).
Refining Creative Assets to Resonate Across Maryland
Building on that previous research and lessons learned from prior campaigns, we updated the creative assets to resonate with diverse audiences across Maryland and align with the branding provided for 988 by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). We created graphics for digital and social media ads, audio and video ad spots in English and Spanish, and other assets such as posters and wallet cards.
Expanding Campaign Reach
We launched the advertising campaign using programmatic display ads and Facebook and Instagram ads in English and Spanish to reach audiences across the state. We placed broadcast radio ads in partnership with iHeart, audio streaming ads to target Spanish-speaking residents, and billboards to reach more rural areas of the state.
Ravens for the Touchdown
After launch, we continued to develop new creative assets for the campaign across platforms. This included producing audio and video spots featuring former Ravens football player James Proche.
Impact
During the launch phase, our team monitored the ad performance throughout the campaign, helped optimize the digital ads, and responded to client needs. Earning more than 30 million impressions, our strategy helped raise awareness about 988 and the services it offers across the state.
- Programmatic display ads delivered 754,951 impressions and 14,092 clicks.
- Facebook and Instagram delivered more than 3.6 million impressions and more than 14,000 clicks.
- The ages 13–17 audience, one of key concern, had the lowest cost per click of $0.69.
- The Spanish-speaking audiences were the most engaged with the campaign, with the highest click-through rate of 0.55%.
- Broadcast radio delivered more than 13.6 million impressions (including 269 bonus spots and 1.7 million bonus impressions).
- Streaming audio delivered 2.3 million impressions, with a click-through rate of 2.20%.
- Billboards were posted for the month of August to capture vacation travelers across the state, earning an estimated 2.4 million impressions.
Capabilities
Advertising
Audio
Behavior change
Content
Graphic design
Integrated campaigns
Visual (video and photo)