Opportunity
In 2024, DHM partnered with DH, a social impact firm, on research to inform a public education campaign for the Washington State Department of Health, encouraging Washington adults ages 55 and older to pursue behaviors to improve mental and emotional health. For this campaign, DH wanted to ensure that all creative materials (print, radio, television, and social media) were informed by the audiences they would target.
Approach
DHM combined a statewide survey with in-person and virtual focus groups to explore how Washingtonians 55+ view mental, emotional, and behavioral health and to refine campaign materials based on real audience feedback. An initial online survey of 400 Washington adults ages 55 and older was used to assess baseline sentiment. The DH team used results from the survey to develop their campaign concepts. DHM then recruited and executed seven focus—both in-person and virtual—to test the messaging, tone, visual elements, and overall campaign approach. In-person groups were conducted in SeaTac, Yakima, Vancouver, and Spokane to ensure statewide geographic representation, and online groups were used to allow for statewide participation from key audiences such as Veterans or folks with physical disabilities.
Results
Insights from both the survey and focus group components of the research informed the final campaign, Find Your People, which will be live in Washington through 2025.
