Share Your Reality

Preventing fentanyl overdoses requires more than broadcasting warnings — it requires listening. Many prevention campaigns are created about young adults, but rarely with them. To build an effective strategy, we launched a young adult engagement initiative (ages 18–25) to gather real insight about how they perceive substance use, mental health, risk, and support. The creative recruited participation in a survey that would directly inform a future fentanyl prevention campaign.
Young adults are highly resistant to institutional outreach. Traditional survey recruitment — formal language, government branding, or clinical visuals — often signals authority and triggers avoidance or distrust. We needed the invitation to feel peer-led, non-judgmental, and safe, while still motivating action.
Instead of asking young adults to “take a survey,” we asked them to be heard.
The final creative centered on a fractured collage of diverse faces with the headline “Share Your Reality.” The final creative centered on a fractured collage of faces with the headline “Share Your Reality.” The image intentionally felt layered and slightly unsettled — reflecting how many young people experience their mental health: not one clear feeling, but many at once. Multiple ages and identities were blended into a single, gender-neutral portrait, emphasizing that struggle doesn’t belong to one group or one story. The visual suggested a shared experience — that behind different appearances, many young adults are carrying similar pressures, questions, and challenges, often unseen. Supporting copy reinforced validation rather than instruction: “Our experiences with mental health and substance use challenges matter.” A bright teal footer carried a clear call-to-action and QR code for immediate participation. The visuals intentionally avoided fear-based fentanyl imagery, using identity, autonomy, and recognition — key drivers of engagement for this age group.
The campaign appeared across posters, social media, newsletters, and digital ads in youth-serving spaces and online environments.
This work reframed prevention from talking to young adults to building messaging with them. By prioritizing youth voice, the campaign gathered authentic insights that shaped the tone, language, and strategy of the fentanyl prevention effort — making listening the first intervention.