May is recognized nationally as Mental Health Month (MHM). Many mental health organizations, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), use this observance as an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health conditions and the populations they affect. MHM 2024 presented VA with the opportunity to rally other federal agencies and community organizations to bolster ongoing efforts to reshape public perceptions of mental health; build awareness of mental health resources available to Veterans; and encourage Veterans and their families and friends to reach out for support whenever they need it.
Objectives:
Improve mental health literacy among Veterans and their supporters.
Reduce the stigma that some Veterans associate with mental health challenges and break down perceived barriers to seeking and accessing mental health care.
Encourage help-seeking behavior among Veterans.
Build awareness of VA’s mental health resources and health care benefits across a diverse offering of channels and content types to reach Veterans and their supporters where they are and in the manner to which they are most receptive.
Provide convenient access, through the campaign splash page and other distributed digital materials, to mental health information, evidence-based treatment options and local sources of VA health care and support.
Expand VA’s network of supporters, including Veteran influencers, community leaders and prominent partner organizations, using best-practice digital engagement tactics.
Countless Veterans have found a renewed sense of connection, fulfillment and passion with the help of mental health care and the support of their loved ones and communities. The Today I Am campaign featured Veteran testimonials and focused on the sense of triumph Veterans experience when they develop a better life or outlook after addressing their mental health challenges.
The Today I Am campaign raised awareness of mental health experiences and resources by integrating and sequencing inspiring and engaging communications on various channels to reach audiences wherever they are. Tactics highlighted stories from real Veterans that are focused on the benefits of treatment, as well as provided information to help Veterans overcome common barriers to seeking mental health treatment — during May and beyond — and featured accessible mental health resources.
Materials and outreach were shared through the following channels:
Splash page. Developed and launched an MHM splash page that inspires Veterans, Veterans’ supporters and the general public with Veterans’ stories focused on the benefits of mental health treatment.
Paid media. Executed an advertising campaign across several channels — including broadcast, cable and connected TV, digital out-of-home, display, video and social media channels — to raise awareness among key audiences and encourage them to visit the splash page.
Email. Developed MHM content for email subscribers. Content included a campaign announcement, featured Veteran stories, and wrap-up content in June that highlights the availability of VA support year-round.
Social media. Developed social media content to engage the Facebook and Instagram followers and YouTube subscribers. The content encouraged Veterans and their supporters to connect with featured stories, visit the campaign splash page, engage with content, seek help, and spread the word.
General outreach. Conducted outreach to promote and expand the reach of the MHM campaign, including the development and distribution of an MHM Spread the Word webpage, partner toolkit, and graphics. The team collaborated with mental health and public health organizations and engaged with groups that have a large Veteran or Veteran supporter audience.
Material distributions. Sent campaign materials to supportive organizations for distribution during MHM 2024 to bolster digital outreach efforts and strengthen year-round campaign engagement.
Audio and video news releases. Planned, developed, and executed one video news release and three audio news releases. The main campaign video news release featured VA Secretary Denis McDonough. One audio news release included general messaging, one focused on reaching women Veterans, and one was focused on Veterans who have substance use disorder.
The Today I Am campaign was successful in utilizing its tactics to raise awareness about VA’s mental health resources and health care benefits among Veterans and their supporters.
The monthlong paid media campaign garnered 611,140,685 advertising impressions, 131,054,976 on-platform video ad completions, and 3,235,792 splash page visits.
On the splash page, there were 15,956 video views to 75% completion, 194,219 visits with 2+ pageviews, and 13,540 resource uses.
More than 1.5 million emails highlighting the campaign were delivered into subscriber’s email inboxes.
This year’s media efforts garnered 434,187,291 combined audience impressions. There were 4 news releases, 1 video news release (VNR), and 3 audio news releases (ANRs) distributed across the country. Key placements include the Los Angeles Times, SFGATE, Chicago Tribune, Delilah, and ABC and CBS general affiliates.
There were 272 total outreach wins, including social media posts, material requests, and poster placements. Notably, the campaign materials were shared by the American Legion, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, NAADAC (the Association for Addiction Professionals), and 45 local libraries, which helped lead to the social media placements reaching over 1.4 million users, as estimated by the number of account followers at the time of placement. There were also 100 fulfillment requests completed and 44,240 materials shipped.
