Suicide Prevention Media Campaigns

State of Montana, Department of Public Health and Human Services

Overview

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Servicescontracted KAI to create a digital media campaign in Montana focused on increasing awareness of mental health resources, suicide prevention specific to White men ages 25–45, and suicide prevention for AI/AN men ages 18–24. The campaigns targeted AI/ANs living in both reservations and urban areas, as well as the general population in Montana.

Challenges

To maintain and monitor statewide attitude shifts toward marketing and messaging of the campaign in which to perform further outreach, as audiences may be particularly receptive to new information from year to year, and to continue to develop new ways in which to communicate effective messaging that shifts the opinions and stigmas associated with mental health and suicide awareness.

Solution

As part of the communications plan, KAI recommended that the general population be broken down by age and by cultural groupings. The breakdown of targeted audiences provides for generalized awareness messaging and for specific suicide prevention messaging for each demographic. KAI drafted a plan including branding, social media posts and graphics, digital media ads, medial placements, and monthly marketing reports, plus a list of recommended media buys and key terms for monitoring.

Results

The campaign was very successful, breaking through the noise of an inauguration and changing COVID-19 restrictions and variants, and it resulted in a significantly larger contract with MT DPHHS for the focused on addressing the ongoing opioid epidemic.