Elevating a National Awareness Initiative Brand

Background: With a history of an annual new theme and changing logos, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) annual National Prevention Week (NPW) needed a long-term, memorable brand and approach. While much has changed within SAMHSA and across the prevention field since the launch of NPW in 2004, the brand has not had an equivalent upgrade. With this in mind, SAMHSA set a goal of creating a new brand identity for NPW that would best serve the prevention community and convey our message of commitment and support.

Program background: NPW is a public education platform showcasing the work of communities and organizations across the country dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of substance misuse prevention and positive mental health. In its nineteenth year, the initiative aims to support and celebrate organizations and individuals in the prevention community.

Evaluation Methods and Results: The SAMHSA team evaluated and re-established the communications goals and objectives of NPW. In talking to partners, we heard that they wanted more opportunities to engage and excite the field. We created a brand identity and messages to articulate NPW, along with a new approach. The redefined brand identity focuses on NPW as a conduit for elevating the prevention community with a confident and encouraging feel and tone. The credibility and reliability of SAMHSA as a government agency are core brand personality points reflective of unwavering, transparent values that galvanize our audience.

Conclusions: In January 2023, we launched the rebrand at SAMHSA’s Prevention Day, including an updated logo design and tagline. The new tagline, “A Celebration of Possibility,” switched from a yearly, changing theme to one overarching tagline that activates people to uplift success stories, innovations in the field, and encourage contributions to the prevention community.

In addition to this rebrand, SAMHSA reframed our approach to NPW. The new approach emphasizes a focus on providing year-round touchpoints for the prevention community, recognizing that prevention work happens every day, not just during the second week of May. Going forward, in addition to the week-long celebration, NPW will provide a platform for the community to come together throughout the year and learn from each other about promising approaches, innovative ideas, and best practices in prevention.

Implications for research and/or practice: In conversations with partners at the brand launch at SAMHSA’s Prevention Day and thereafter, we’ve heard unanimous feedback that this year-round approach will allow them to better invest in the programmatic activities, better aligns with their goals, and gives them better lead time to participate in an ongoing way, with greater investment. Making engagement easier not only reduces barriers to participation, but it also demonstrates how SAMHSA listens to the prevention community.

As a government agency, it can be difficult to change such a longstanding brand and initiative. By successfully conceptualizing NPW in an innovative way, we were able to create the first-ever tagline, a lasting, impressionable logo, and a new approach that speaks better to our audience.