• by Les Luchter , 2 hours ago

The Veterans Administration (VA) and Ad Council have released three new PSAs in their five-year-old “Don’t Wait. Reach Out” suicide prevention campaign. In addition to the TV, digital, social, out-of-home and print content are also available to media.

The PSAs, like this :60, feature veterans addressing the camera about receiving support from fellow veterans, ending with a call-to-action of finding resources at VA.gov/REACH.

“The work builds on an insight we've heard consistently from veterans: Support can feel especially meaningful when it comes from someone who shares their lived experience,” Heidi Arthur, the Ad Council’s chief campaign and program officer, explains to Marketing Daily.  “Through veteran-to-veteran messages, the PSAs reinforce the power of connection and remind veterans that they don't have to navigate life's challenges alone.”

In addition, Arthur points out, the “Don’t Wait. Reach Out” campaign is incorporating “Buddy Check Week” into its messaging for the first time. The work also launches in time for September’s Suicide Prevention Month.  

Buddy Check Week, running this year from Sept. 21 to Sept. 15, is  a three-year-old initiative from the Department of Veterans Affairs in which veterans, their families, and caregivers are encouraged to connect with fellow service members to promote peer wellness and crisis prevention.

The Ad Council and the VA plan to also partner with Twitch that week on a custom livestream featuring gamers who are also veterans, in which they will check in with one another and encourage viewers to do the same with veterans in their own lives.

The latest data from the VA shows suicide as the second-leading cause of death among veterans under 45, with 6,398 veterans dying by suicide in 2023.

This year’s “Don’t Wait. Reach Out” creative was developed pro bono by Omnicom’s GSD&M, which has been handling the campaign since 2023. Previous iterations have included a focus on bravery (2024) and a Kathryn Bigelow-directed spot (2023).

“Don’t Wait. Reach Out” is part of the Ad Council’s $65 million, seven-year Mental Health Initiative, which launched in 2022.

It’s also part of the VA’s 10-year strategy to end veteran suicide through community prevention and clinical intervention strategies, which launched in 2018.

As evidence that the campaign has been making a difference, the Ad Council and Department of Veteran Affairs point out that an estimated 3.5 million vets  “who are currently struggling and are aware of the campaign have reached out for help within the past six months.”

Since its launch, the partners add, the campaign has also generated more than $150 million in donated media support and driven more than 7.5 million visits to VA.gov/REACH.