Oklahoma’s 988 Campaign: How Public Relations Principles can make Mental Health help more approachable

A national campaign was launched last year for the 988 helpline that provides live 24/7 phone support. In the most dire of cases, a mobile crisis team can be dispatched to aid someone in crisis.


Jones Public Relations, partnering with Insight Creative and their client, Oklahoma’s Department Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, won PRSA’s Silver Anvil award for a 2-year campaign to both raise awareness about mental health, and to change the narrative from the existing stigma around mental health and raise awareness about the newly-established 988 helpline. Jones PR Wins 3 National Awards for Mental Health Campaign | Business & Energy | city-sentinel.com

Jones changed the national campaign’s focus on a “suicide hotline” to focus on a “mental health lifelife,” using messages that research told them would better appeal to a variety of Oklahoma audiences.  Jones also used basic PR principles to design the campaign. They were:

Start With Research

  • Some 4.1% of adults in Oklahoma had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year.  Research showed, for example, the 55-year-old white male was a high-risk group.  

  • There is behavioral evidence that 300 Oklahomans are admitted for urgent care or crisis mental health services each year.

  • Jones PR conducted online focus groups with 200 people across the state over a 3-day period, testing key messages and logos and getting real-time feedback.  Graphics targeted both urban and rural audiences with “textures that mean something to Oklahomians”.

Keep Messages Simple

Instead of using the message, “Suicide Is Never The Answer”, Jones used simple tag lines such as “Life Can Be A Lot. Help Doesn’t Have To Be”; “Talk Is Good Medicine” - “Be Kind To Your Mind” and “You Are Loved More Than Your Likes.”

Comprehensive Approach

This campaign’s graphic ID declared Oklahoma’s “comprehensive crisis response” beyond the 988 helpline, including urging follow-up appointments, the use of mobile crisis teams and technology to connect law enforcement with a licensed behavioral health practitioner to assess and connect the person in crisis to the right resources. https://oklahoma.gov/odmhsas/treatment/comprehensive-crisis-response.html

Creative Targeting of Messages 

  • To gain the attention of teens, Jones used the triggering event of World Mental Health Day in October to launch the message: “1 in 10 Teens Suffer From Depression At Any Given Time.  Take 10 on 10/10,”  

  • A different PSA was created for middle-schoolers and kids were asked to draw “what mental health means to them,”

  • Partnering with influencers, Jones targeted middle aged men by creating buzz that there would be a famous Oklahomian starring in the 988 commercial at Super Bowl ( local star Kristen Chenoweth).  Spots with football player Dillon Gabriel were effective with this audience,

  • They developed a Spotify Playlist, working with local partners, with calming noises like “white rain,”

  • Campaign messages were disseminated via unique places such as  gas station pumps, coasters in bars and flyers on top of pizza boxes.  Clever swag was useful ( stress relievers like stress balls and fidget spinners).


The Results

  • More than 300 earned media stories,

  • Instagram gained 6,000 followers,

  • More than 5,000 Facebook followers

  • Calls to the Oklahoma Call Center doubled following a Super Bowl ad (40,000+ calls)

  • Development of impactful partnerships (including law enforcement; state park rangers)



For more information, visit https://988oklahoma.com/.



NewsNH Coalition for Suicide Prevention988 Campaign, suicide, hotline