Campaign Website
Recover Alaska: Share Your Strength Alcohol Misuse Prevention/Social Norms Campaign
www.recoveralaska.org/share-your-strength
Project Description: Walsh|Sheppard contracted with Recover Alaska in late 2021 to implement a social norms campaign to reduce alcohol use during pregnancy in Southwest Alaska. This effort was initiated after a statewide survey funded by Recover Alaska found that rates of consuming alcohol during pregnancy were higher in this region, as were rates of those who believed drinking during pregnancy was safe. We worked with SALT to prepare questions for focus group testing, the results of which were to inform the campaign messaging and visuals. Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, there was extreme hesitancy among residents to participate in a focus group with others. After SALT personnel identified a local community champion, our team worked with this champion to identify local residents who were willing to provide their voice and experience and be messengers for this campaign.
Kelby Holtfreter Murphy conducted interviews with residents, and a strong theme emerged: Southwest Alaska residents were experiencing heightened isolation due to the pandemic, and subsequently higher levels of loneliness and stress. We determined that it would be inappropriate to implement a campaign to discourage drinking during pregnancy when most residents were struggling to make it through the day. The campaign objective shifted to focus instead on telling stories of navigating stressful times, emphasizing long-held cultural practices and spending time with family and in nature.
The landing page served as a primary engagement tool and means of recruiting additional Alaska residents to share their stories of strength. Messaging emphasized the many ways a person can move through difficult times, and provided resources for those experiencing loneliness, isolation, and substance misuse including during pregnancy.
Due to the success of the campaign in Southwest Alaska, in 2023, the campaign was extended to reach a statewide audience. Engagement with the landing page content in both campaign years was exceptionally high, with an average of just under two minutes per session. Additionally, the Share Your Strength story submission form received 26,065 views in 2023. The statewide media budget was just under $25,000 and creative ran on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, APRN radio, and mobile in-app geofencing of the WEIO Games, Youth & Elders Conference, and AFN. Engagement was exceptionally high for this campaign, which ended December 31, 2023. Click-through, view-through, and engagement rates exceeded national benchmarks for all channels.Recommendations for the future campaign include more local outreach to encourage sharing personal stories with other Alaskans.
Project Team
- Project Lead: Kelby Holtfreter Murphy
- Project Support: Erin Torgerson
- Messaging Strategist/Copywriter: Kelby Holtfreter Murphy
- Video Animation, Editing, and Production: Shelby Kulish
- Graphic Design & Creative Direction: Sam Irwin
- Website Development: Randy Bangerter, Bangerter Creative