988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Our Work:
Formative research, message testing, online surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, Spanish-language research, surveying children and teens, online bulletin boards, A/B testing

Corona Insights was retained for several market research engagements to support the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and their partner advertising firms in the development and testing of a communications campaign for Colorado’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. We began by conducting formative research to support the development of two separate campaigns, one centered on adults and one for youth. A partner ad agency developed campaign materials based on our initial research, which we then assessed further via A/B testing for the adult-focused 988 Colorado campaign. We utilized a wide range of methods, including general population surveys, demographic-specific surveys of parents and children, in-depth interviews with behavioral health referrers and youth-serving adults, focus groups with people in Colorado (including Spanish-speaking and AI/AN adults as well as Colorado youth), and online bulletin boards with parents and children. The research established that baseline awareness of 988 was relatively low in Colorado—the campaign was a first introduction to the service for many. The research also revealed a need for the campaign to clearly explain the service’s purpose, usage, and confidentiality. By combining these research insights with rigorous testing, we were able to guide the BHA in crafting a campaign that not only raises awareness but also effectively educates the public about the 988 service in a resonant and culturally competent way.