Name of Intervention/ Program
Revolutionizing Suicide Prevention Outreach: The Live On Campaign’s Social Media Breakthrough
Background and Situation Analysis
Suicide remains a pressing public health issue globally, with alarming rates of incidence. In the United States alone, suicide claims over 47,000 lives annually, ranking as the tenth leading cause of death. Despite concerted efforts to address mental health, stigma and misconceptions persist, impeding individuals from seeking help. In today’s digital age, traditional methods of suicide prevention outreach often fall short in reaching high-risk individuals. In response, a leading organization embarked on a groundbreaking initiative, “Live On,” utilizing social media platforms as a conduit for life-saving education and intervention. Situation Analysis: Understanding the Audience: Extensive research was conducted to comprehend the target audience’s demographics, psychographics, and attitudes toward mental health. Analysis of social media trends, focus groups, and surveys revealed a significant gap in awareness and a reluctance to openly discuss mental health due to fear of judgment. Identifying Barriers: The campaign identified key barriers preventing individuals from seeking help, including social stigma, lack of awareness about available resources, and the misconception that suicide is inevitable. Additionally, cultural and societal norms influenced attitudes toward mental health, requiring tailored messaging strategies. Strategic Messaging: Messages were crafted to resonate with the audience, emphasizing hope, resilience, and the importance of community support. Rather than solely focusing on the negative consequences of suicide, the campaign highlighted stories of survival, recovery, and the impact of reaching out for help. Multi-Channel Approach: A multi-channel approach was adopted, encompassing digital media, traditional advertising, community events, and partnerships with mental health organizations. This ensured maximum reach and engagement across various platforms and demographics. Measuring Impact: Throughout the campaign, meticulous tracking of key performance indicators such as website traffic, social media engagement, hotline calls, and changes in public perception was conducted. Real-time data analysis allowed for agile adjustments to messaging and tactics, maximizing effectiveness. In conclusion, the “Live On” campaign exemplifies the power of social marketing innovation in addressing complex public health issues. Through strategic messaging, targeted outreach, and unwavering commitment, the campaign has made significant strides in de-stigmatizing mental health and promoting help-seeking behaviors, thus serving as a beacon of hope, inspiring change, and saving lives.
Priority Audiences(s)
The Live On campaign’s priority audiences include: 1. General Market Utah; and highest risk 2. LGBTQ community; 3. Military personnel; 4. Spanish-speakers. These groups are targeted to promote mental health awareness and support. The Live On campaign prioritizes engaging with diverse audiences: the general market in Utah, the LGBTQ community, military personnel, and the Spanish-speaking population. By targeting these groups, the campaign aims to raise awareness and provide support for mental health issues. Each audience brings unique perspectives and needs, and the campaign tailors its messaging and resources accordingly. It strives to ensure inclusivity and accessibility for all, recognizing the importance of addressing mental health concerns across various demographics.
Behavioral Objectives
The Live On campaign sets forth clear behavioral objectives aimed at fostering positive mental health outcomes within its target audiences. Additionally, completion of the 10-lesson Instagram training is prioritized to equip individuals with coping strategies and skills to manage mental health challenges effectively. Objectives encompass several key facets: firstly, to increase awareness and understanding of mental health issues among the general population of Utah, thereby reducing stigma and encouraging open dialogue. Secondly, the campaign seeks to create a supportive environment for high risk individuals, ensuring they feel validated and empowered to seek help when needed. Thirdly, for military personnel, the objective is to provide accessible resources and support systems tailored to their unique experiences and challenges, fostering resilience and well-being within this community. Finally, the campaign endeavors to reach and engage with the Spanish-speaking population, breaking down language barriers and ensuring equitable access to mental health information and services. By achieving these behavioral objectives, the Live On campaign aims to promote proactive behaviors such as seeking help, practicing self-care, and supporting others in times of need. Ultimately, the campaign strives to cultivate a culture of mental health awareness and resilience, where individuals feel empowered to prioritize their well-being and seek support when facing mental health challenges. Through targeted messaging, community partnerships, and resource dissemination, the Live On campaign aims to effect tangible and lasting changes in attitudes and behaviors surrounding mental health across its priority audiences.
Description of Strategy/Intervention
The Live On playbook leverages Instagram as a powerful tool for innovative social marketing, harnessing the platform’s vast reach and engagement potential to promote mental health awareness and support. At its core, the strategy revolves around leveraging Instagram’s visual storytelling capabilities, interactive features, and community-building opportunities to connect with target audiences and drive meaningful engagement. The playbook’s strategy begins by establishing a compelling and cohesive visual identity for the Live On campaign on Instagram. This includes creating a visually appealing feed that features eye-catching graphics, inspiring quotes, and captivating images related to mental health and well-being. By curating a visually engaging aesthetic, the campaign aims to capture the attention of users scrolling through their Instagram feeds and encourage them to explore further. Central to the playbook’s strategy is the use of Instagram Stories as a dynamic and interactive storytelling platform. Through a series of themed story campaigns, the Live On campaign shares personal stories, testimonials, and educational content related to mental health. These stories are designed to resonate with the audience on a personal level, fostering empathy, understanding, and connection. Interactive features such as polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions are integrated into the stories to encourage audience participation and engagement, creating a two-way dialogue between the campaign and its followers. In addition to Stories, the playbook utilizes Instagram Live as a real-time engagement tool to host interactive events such as panel discussions, workshops, and live Q&A sessions with mental health experts and advocates. These live events provide a platform for direct engagement with the audience, allowing them to ask questions, share their experiences, and receive real-time feedback and support. By bringing together experts and community members in a live and interactive format, the campaign fosters a sense of connection and solidarity among its followers. To further amplify its reach and impact, the Live On playbook employs strategic partnerships and collaborations with influencers, organizations, and community leaders on Instagram. By teaming up with individuals and groups who share a passion for mental health advocacy, the campaign is able to extend its reach to new audiences and tap into existing communities of support. Influencers and partners are invited to share their own stories and experiences related to mental health, amplifying the campaign’s message and inspiring others to join the conversation. In addition to organic content, the playbook incorporates paid advertising on Instagram to target specific audiences and amplify key messages. By leveraging Instagram’s targeting capabilities, the campaign is able to reach individuals who may be most in need of mental health support, such as young adults, LGBTQ individuals, and military personnel. Paid ads are strategically designed to drive action, whether it’s raising awareness, encouraging engagement, or promoting access to resources and support services. Crucial to the success of the Live On playbook is its focus on authenticity, transparency, and inclusivity. The campaign strives to create a safe and welcoming space on Instagram where individuals feel empowered to share their stories, seek support, and connect with others who may be experiencing similar challenges. By fostering a sense of community and belonging, the Live On campaign aims to break down stigma surrounding mental health and inspire positive change in attitudes and behaviors. Overall, the Live On playbook’s innovative use of Instagram as a social marketing platform enables the campaign to reach and engage with target audiences in meaningful and impactful ways. Through compelling visual storytelling, interactive features, strategic partnerships, and a commitment to authenticity and inclusivity, the campaign leverages the power of Instagram to promote mental health awareness, support, and resilience within communities across the globe.
Implementation
The Live On campaign implemented a multifaceted approach rooted in behavior change principles to engage target audiences, promote mental health awareness, and foster community support. Leveraging media events, paid advertising, coalition building, and partnerships with community organizations, the campaign strategically applied key behavior change strategies. Media events served as pivotal platforms to not only generate buzz and raise awareness but also to instigate cognitive and emotional shifts in individuals’ perceptions of mental health. By crafting compelling narratives and showcasing personal stories of resilience, these events aimed to stimulate empathy and drive attitudinal changes towards mental health issues. Paid advertising played a crucial role in leveraging behavior change techniques such as social norms and fear appeals. Through targeted messaging across various platforms, the campaign aimed to influence social perceptions by highlighting common experiences and the importance of seeking support. Additionally, fear appeals were utilized to emphasize the potential consequences of neglecting mental health, motivating individuals to take proactive steps towards self-care and seeking help. Coalition building was instrumental in implementing behavior change strategies through social influence and social learning. By partnering with trusted organizations, influencers, and community leaders, the campaign aimed to leverage the credibility and authority of these entities to endorse mental health awareness and support-seeking behaviors. Through collaborative efforts, the campaign sought to establish new social norms that prioritize mental well-being within communities. Community partners played a vital role in facilitating behavior change by providing opportunities for social modeling and reinforcement. Grassroots organizations, schools, and businesses served as platforms for disseminating campaign messaging and promoting positive behaviors related to mental health. By integrating mental health education and support into existing community programs and initiatives, the campaign aimed to normalize help-seeking behaviors and reduce stigma. A key performance indicator (KPI) for the campaign was behavior change, measured by self-certification through the 10-lesson program on Instagram. This program was designed based on behavior change theories such as self-efficacy and social learning, aiming to empower individuals with practical skills and knowledge for managing mental health challenges. By completing the lessons, users demonstrated not only increased self-awareness but also a commitment to implementing positive coping strategies and seeking support when needed. Overall, the Live On campaign’s implementation strategy was underpinned by behavior change principles, aiming to catalyze shifts in attitudes and behaviors towards mental health. Through targeted interventions and strategic partnerships, the campaign sought to create an environment conducive to proactive mental health management and support-seeking behaviors within communities. The integration of behavior change techniques across various campaign components contributed to its effectiveness in fostering sustainable changes in mental health-related behaviors and perceptions.
Evaluation Methods and Results
Through its promotion of education and provision of resources, the Live On campaign has significantly impacted the culture surrounding suicide and mental health. A notable indicator of this shift is observed in the increased help-seeking behavior, exemplified by a 1.6% rise in call volume to the Utah Crisis Line. This surge in individuals reaching out for assistance correlates with a tangible decrease in suicides, a departure from the alarming trend of increasing suicide rates in Utah. Despite an average annual increase of 2.1% in suicides over the past decade, Live On’s intervention in 2020 contributed to reducing this rise to nearly zero. This data underscores the effectiveness of the campaign in not only raising awareness but also in actively influencing behavior and reducing the incidence of suicide within the community. In addition to these impactful outcomes, the Live On campaign has also delivered significant added value within the constraints of its limited budget. Through strategic initiatives and partnerships, Boncom, the agency behind Live On, has generated a remarkable return on investment, yielding more than a 4 to 1 return on dollars invested. Leveraging the media buying power of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the campaign secured a minimum 2 to 1 match for paid media, maximizing exposure and engagement. Moreover, through soliciting donated distribution via community partnerships and social champions, the campaign has accrued an estimated value exceeding $1.2 million dollars. Furthermore, proactive networking with news outlets has resulted in over $150K worth of publicity, extending the campaign’s reach and impact. Additionally, Boncom has demonstrated its commitment by donating nearly $100K in agency time and services, further amplifying the campaign’s reach and effectiveness. These metrics and contributions highlight the exceptional efficiency and efficacy of the Live On campaign in maximizing resources and delivering meaningful results in the fight against suicide and for mental health awareness.
Entry Letter: E