The statistics and impacts on families nationwide are staggering — well over half a million people have died from an opioid overdose in the U.S. since 1999. According to Johns Hopkins University, overdose deaths among American Indian, Black, and Hispanic communities have almost doubled over the past few years, and young adults in these groups are most at risk.
The strategies public health experts and communities nationwide have employed to address the evolving opioid epidemic have been as pervasive and multi-faceted as the issue itself. Few, however, have had the impact of Know the Dangers, a co-creation campaign more than 10 years in the making.
At the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in April of this year, Russell Herder leadership presented on the power of cocreation in tackling seemingly insurmountable issues like opioid addiction. By highlighting Know the Dangers, RH leadership showed the impact of partnering with community members, stakeholders and consumers to generate messages that resonate deeply with those engaged in, and at risk for, opioid misuse.
As the late Pope Francis said, “…be shepherds living with the smell of the sheep.” This statement implies that those hoping to help marginalized individuals need to communicate and collaborate with them. It’s not enough to offer aid; trust and understanding must first be gained.
It’s this belief that fuels RH’s cocreation strategy for a variety of campaigns, including Know the Dangers. A multi-faceted effort, the highly successful campaign leverages the power of true, street-level engagement to make a measurable difference.
Conducted in close collaboration with forward-thinking clients, communities, providers, law enforcement, schools and more, the initiative was designed to innovatively and aggressively further awareness and understanding of the dangers of opioids and fentanyl use and where to find support and resources.
Click the video below to view a small sampling of RH’s collaboration with community artists, storytellers, and talent. The work produced fights substance misuse while featuring individuals from, and reflecting the cultural realities of, the communities most at risk.
VIDEO
As part of Know the Dangers and other community campaigns, intentionality is key — regardless of industry, for- or not-for-profit status. To create effective messages, we stand by the following:
- A well-planned brand, customized by audience, is essential
- Compelling creative must be measurable, factual and immersive
- Community engagement requires authenticity, respect and well-planned cocreation
- True community engagement should amplify the work of others
- Strategists must develop solutions that are scalable and can evolve
Know the Dangers is just one example of a campaign developed with the community, for the community. And the numbers tell the story of its impact. The campaign has generated more than 2.3 million visits to the website, a reach of 84 million on social media with over 929,000 shares/likes, and digital ad click-throughs of 1.7 million. While much is left to be done, the total number of suspected year-over-year drug overdose deaths decreased by 17% in 2024.
As communicators, RH is committed to addressing urgent public health issues like substance misuse. And, by combining hyper-local cocreation strategies, we were able to help effect measurable change.
Whether we’re advocating for the power of community engagement at a national event or leading cocreation sessions in the field, we remain focused on one thing: authentic engagement to create meaningful, high-impact behavior change.
