Mental health challenges are sweeping our nation, and resources are trying to keep up with the need. And perhaps nowhere is there more need than among our war veterans. Washington County sought to address this head-on, with the help of EPIC Creative.

We sought to lower the barrier of entry, making the experience of accessing mental health services easy, comfortable, and local. The campaign centered around the concept of “You helped us, let us help you,” as a message of appreciation and support.

We rolled out the campaign through social media ads and graphics, flyers, and more, inviting veterans to call or visit a website to learn more and get connected.

Based on the success of our 2020 COVID-19 campaign, Washington County—soon to be joined by nearby Ozaukee County—reached out at the end of 2021 to request our help branding a new effort to help residents know when and where to seek mental health treatment.

This campaign doesn’t just explore depression or addiction, but zooms out to what the cause or catalyst is. In its specific messaging direction, it looks to relate to at least one person dealing with issues such as online bullying, gambling, relationship trauma, and more.

Change the Ending positions addiction issues as a result rather than a fault; after all, addiction is a disease and not simply a moral failing. It displays an understanding of circumstance and support for a group of people who normally do not openly speak of their past.

In Washington and Ozaukee counties, they had a limited number of homes with lead water pipes entering the home. While they deployed a long-term plan to replace the pipes, they sought EPIC’s help in a community-wide campaign about the lead exposure.

We didn’t opt for a “doom and gloom” campaign to scare the public. Rather, we went with a direct effort showcasing the effects—irritability, delayed development, loss of appetite—with a hopeful conclusion that it’s 100% treatable.

The campaign sent users to the GetTestedForLead.com landing page, providing resources and ways to get their families tested. We also leveraged billboards, social media ads, and media relations efforts to spread the word.

This unique program from Washington County essentially invites would-be homebuyers to consider Washington County through a $20,000 incentive that they could earn back through volunteering and charitable giving.

Our goal was to reach two audiences: the home buyers, and the county as a whole, showing them the benefits of growing our community.

The brand EPIC developed, Heart & Homestead, speaks well to both of these audiences. The campaign creative drove the message home. The campaign itself consists of billboards/out-of-home advertising, connected TV, digital radio, high-impact digital ads, and a social media campaign, as well as local advertising.

Beyond our own county, we have communities nearby—where some of our employees happen to live—that have sought our help in sharing important messages. The City of Wauwatosa Health Department brought in EPIC in 2021 to develop a campaign to increase the number of COVID-19 vaccinations in their community.

Wauwatosa is often shortened to “Tosa”, so we ran with it and shortened “Wauwatosa Community” to TOSA UNITY. It centered around the idea that you’re not getting a vaccine for yourself, you’re doing it to make for a better and healthier community around you. In a time and a topic that can be divisive, we invited people to come together for a common cause.

This rolled out with out-of-home advertising, digital and social media ads, and stickers for local businesses to show support—some of which are still up in windows to this day!