988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Campaign

For the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, our team prepared, implemented and assessed the national campaign to raise awareness for Lifeline’s change to an easy-to-remember 988 number. 

The campaign involved branding and creating materials for the new initiative, preparing and organizing a roadshow for the director to highlight key features in high-risk communities, a social media campaign (including influencers for whom we developed a vetting tool for the agency), partnership development, and website development.

The 988 Lifeline is segmented upon entry, so youth, LGBTQIA+, veterans, Spanish-speaking farmers and ranchers, and maternal people reaching out to help would be patched to 988 responders with these specializations. For that reason, we created campaign materials specifically targeting these high-risk groups and produced all materials in English and Spanish.

The launch of the 988 Campaign was a huge success. Since the July 2022 launch, 988 has received (routed) about 9.6 million calls, texts, and chats.

Partner engagement with the developed materials also played a significant role in the use of chat and text, which quickly became the preferred method of communication for youth and young adults.