26 million women have a learning difference like ADHD and dyslexia, and many of them are undiagnosed. When left untreated, it can lead to significant mental and emotional challenges; women with ADHD experience higher rates of mental illness, workplace discrimination, self-harm and domestic violence. Many feel forced to hide their true selves, leading to stress, burnout, and limited opportunities for self-advocacy.
Understood.org is the leading nonprofit empowering individuals with learning and thinking differences, including women with ADHD. 11:11 Media Impact, the social impact arm of Paris Hilton’s media company, leverages pop culture storytelling to drive social change.
After publicly sharing her ADHD diagnosis, Paris aimed to shift the narrative from one of shame to empowerment. Recognizing aligned goals around promoting neurodiversity and women’s health equity, Understood.org and 11:11 Media partnered on a campaign to center and uplift women with ADHD.
Launched during ADHD Awareness Month, the campaign combined Paris Hilton’s storytelling and cultural influence with Understood’s trusted expertise.
The campaign set out to:
To bring this campaign to life, we merged Paris Hilton’s influence as a creator, advocate, and storyteller with Understood’s credibility and expert-backed resources. Launching during ADHD Awareness Month strengthened cultural relevance and media momentum.
Our multi-channel strategy leveraged Paris’s vulnerability about her ADHD journey, creating authenticity that deeply resonated with millennial women. Designed to maximize reach, engagement, and impact, the campaign blended cultural influence with personal storytelling to connect powerfully with our target audience.
Key tactics included:
The success of the ADHD Awareness Month campaign was driven by cross-collaboration, engaging and credible content, and advocacy. Both Understood.org and 11:11 Media shared a deep commitment to reducing stigma and improving resources for neurodivergent women, enabling powerful collaboration.
However, ADHD is incredibly personal, and it was important to both Understood and 11:11 Media to approach the campaign with sensitivity and inclusion – which meant navigating a few challenges.
The first was balancing Paris’s personal ADHD journey with the wide spectrum of experiences for women with ADHD, and reflecting that in messaging. Paris proudly views her ADHD as her ‘superpower,’ enabling her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. This may not resonate with all women, especially those who don’t have a diagnosis, so the teams partnered closely to ensure nuanced storytelling that didn’t invalidate anyone’s struggles. Additionally, cultural stigma means that many communities still struggle to openly discuss ADHD and mental health. Overcoming this resistance required thoughtful framing and the use of trusted voices – including Understood.org experts.
Despite these challenges, the campaign succeeded in reaching and empowering a historically overlooked group, setting the foundation for continued advocacy and cultural changes.
Understood established clear metrics to evaluate the campaign’s success, focusing on reach, user interactions, and engagement with the digital content hub. Goals included reaching 9.9 million people across earned media, social, and email; driving 2.9 million interactions; and bringing 14,000 unique visitors to the Women with ADHD landing page.
The results exceeded expectations across nearly every metric. Earned media coverage generated 241.6 million impressions – 2,345% above target. The campaign’s landing page received 23,500 unique visitors, outperforming the goal by 71%, with strong engagement across articles, tools, and podcasts.
On Understood’s social channels, content drove 1.6 million interactions. While slightly under the goal, it resonated deeply with users and spurred meaningful community engagement. Understood also saw a 50% increase in traffic to the Women with ADHD hub and a 40% lift in social conversations – signs of a powerful shift in awareness and discourse.
On Paris Hilton’s channels, ADHD-related content was shared 99 times, generating 52.1 million impressions – 417% above target – and 2.7 million interactions. Followers responded with powerful sentiments, including: “You make us not feel alone!” and “Really needed to hear this. Seeing how you turn everything into your superpower is inspiring.”
Notably, Paris gained 20,000 new followers during the first 2 weeks of ADHD Awareness Month, driven by ADHD-focused posts, and her song “ADHD” trended on Instagram Reels in the first week of October.
The campaign delivered measurable impact in awareness, advocacy, and community building.
