**Client**: Maryland Department of Health
**Project**: Harm Reduction and Substance Abuse Awareness Campaign
**Role**: Paid Media; TV Placement; Website Redevelopment; Communications Overhaul

Overview

KAUSE Marketing & PR was awarded a 2024 competitive contract by the state of Maryland to launch a comprehensive harm reduction and substance abuse awareness campaign. Tasked with breaking the stigma surrounding substance use, we executed a fully integrated communications strategy that included paid media, video production, and the complete redevelopment of the website www.dontlabelus.org. Our team not only exponentially increased website traffic but also transformed the messaging to provide a more focused and impactful communication platform.

Challenge

Stigma and misinformation about substance abuse often hinder public awareness and engagement with harm reduction initiatives. The MD Department of Health sought a campaign that could dismantle these barriers while effectively reaching diverse audiences across Queen Anne’s County. Additionally, the website which was inconsistent and disjointed in communications, required a complete overhaul to better serve as a central hub of attraction for resources, education, and support.

Approach

The new “Recover Looks Like” and “Road to Recovery” themes for Queen Anne’s County Substance Use framed recovery as a personalized, visual, and ongoing journey rather than a distant or abstract concept.

Creativity: “Recover Looks Like” is a play on words that invites people to visualize what recovery means to them—whether it’s stability, family, health, or a second chance. It also creates a sense of ownership and relatability, making the message more powerful.
Strategy: “Road to Recovery” reinforces that recovery is a process, not a single event. This phrase helps normalize setbacks and progress while also aligning with the idea of support services as guideposts along the way. It makes the campaign feel actionable and goal-oriented, rather than passive.
Effectiveness: Both phrases were designed to engage multiple audiences—those struggling with substance use, families, healthcare providers, and the community. They provided a hopeful, clear framework that encouraged people to take the next step, whether seeking help or supporting others.

This combination of wordplay, emotional resonance, and strategic messaging made the campaign memorable, impactful, and aligned with public health communication best practices.

KAUSE approached the challenge with a comprehensive paid media strategy paired with integrated communications recommendations. Our team was responsible for:

Integrated Communications: Beyond paid media, we conducted a messaging overhaul, creating more focused and empathetic communication that connected emotionally with our audience. This included crafting narratives that were not only informative but also broke the stigma around substance use.

Full-service video production, including compelling social media ads and TV commercials that humanized the issue of substance abuse.
Development of digital and printed collateral to reinforce the campaign’s message across multiple touchpoints.
Website redevelopment and redesign to create a user-friendly, resource-rich platform at www.dontlabelus.org. The new site featured intuitive navigation, updated content, and a modern design that better reflected the campaign's goals. Our team worked closely with the Department of Health to ensure that www.dontlabelus.org became a user-centric, accessible resource for harm reduction information. The updated messaging on the site now reflects a clear, stigma-free approach to substance abuse.

Paid Media: We executed targeted digital and social media campaigns to drive traffic to the website and raise awareness.

Outcome

The results were transformational. We successfully raised awareness of harm reduction strategies, broke down stigmas, and exponentially increased traffic to www.dontlabelus.org. Our integrated communications approach—combining paid media with revamped messaging and a redesigned website—ensured that the campaign reached a wide and diverse audience.

The campaign's success is a testament to KAUSE’s ability to deliver both paid media strategies and comprehensive messaging solutions. By connecting all aspects of the campaign—video production, collateral, media buys, and website redevelopment—we were able to create a cohesive, impactful public health initiative. We are specifically happy that the organization, staffed with recovered victors now working to help others in their shoes, are enthusiastic about a modern website that speaks more authentically to their stories and journey.

Key Results

Exponential increase in website traffic following the redesign and campaign launch.
Successful delivery of a full-service video production suite, including social media ads and TV commercials.
Development of new, focused messaging that broke stigma and raised awareness.
Redevelopment of www.dontlabelus.org into a modern, user-friendly platform.

Thank you Queen Anne’s County Department of Health for trusting us to contribute to your impact and for trusting us with your personal and vulnerable stories.

(If you know anyone with substance use disorder or would like to be a part of breaking the stigma? Here’s how you can be on the positive side of the future. Download the Break the Stigma Toolkit we created.)

Integrated Harm Reduction Campaign for Maryland Department of Health