Serious african american father and son sitting on couch in living room talking and holding hands

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) “Talk. They Hear You.”® Campaign

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Overview

Synergy is a long-term partner of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in its mission to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes.

For SAMHSA’s “Talk. They Hear You.”® campaign, Synergy provides social marketing, strategic communications, materials development and distribution, research and evaluation, stakeholder outreach and engagement, partnership development, and technical assistance and training expertise and support to more than 1,400 licensed campaign partners across the country. These partners are directly responsible for the ongoing success of “Talk. They Hear You.” through their commitment to prevention and efforts to implement the campaign in communities across the country. “Talk. They Hear You.”® is a national substance use prevention campaign focused on helping parents and caregivers, educators, and community members get informed, be prepared, and take action.

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A father talking to his daughter on the couch

Impact

Synergy has created more than 400 products for the “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign, including television, radio, and print public service announcements (PSAs); discussion starter videos and guides; original soundtracks; “Parents’ Night Out” educational sessions; student assistance guides; community engagement guides and toolkits; fact sheets; brochures; posters; infographics; and product catalogs. Since the campaign’s launch in 2013, the PSAs have collectively garnered more than 20.4 billion impressions and generated an estimated $246.6 million in free airtime and ad space. To help take “Talk. They Hear You.” digital and meet people where they are, Synergy has also created a self-screening and referral management tool, mobile apps, a podcast, individual webinars and webinar series, and digital banner ads. Synergy creates customized social media content for SAMHSA and its 1,400+ campaign partners to promote “Talk. They Hear You.” and other important substance use prevention messaging to their key stakeholders, as well. By providing these core public education resources that are based on evidence-based approaches, Synergy is helping communities bring underage drinking and other substance use prevention to the forefront nationwide. As a result of these tremendous efforts, the “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign was featured as one of the top 100 health campaigns in Success in Social Marketing by Nancy R. Lee and Philp Kotler.

  • “Talk.  They Hear You.”® PRODUCT CATALOG
  • What Parents Are Saying — Prevention Wisdom, Authenticity, and Empowerment
  • SAMHSA’s “Talk. They Hear You.” By-Your-Side PSA
A father talking to his daughter on the couch

Capabilities

  • Social Marketing
  • Strategic Communications Planning and Implementation
  • Materials Development and Distribution
  • Research and Evaluation
  • Stakeholder Outreach and Engagement
  • Partnership Development
  • Technical Assistance and Training

Audiences

  • Parents and Caregivers of Kids Ages 9–20
  • Educators
  • Community Members
  • Parent-, School-, and Community-Based Organizations That Serve Kids Ages 9–20 and Their Families
  • General Public
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