Saving Veteran Lives
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The story.
Veterans are the heart of DCG. Created by a veteran for veterans, DCG has spent more than a decade building and implementing public health communications campaigns to help save veteran lives.
Behind this initiative for VA’s Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention’s (OMHSP) Suicide Prevention Program (SPP) is a team of researchers, writers, designers, communicators, outreach and event specialists, and paid media and web experts dedicated to finding innovative ways to reach the nation’s diverse community of more than 20 million veterans with messages that will resonate with them and those who support them.
Services.
- Strategic communications
- Creative development
- Research
- Social media
- Events
- Video
- Outreach
- Paid media
- Photography
- Web development
- Radio media tours
Solution.
Our team, which includes several veterans to ensure we’re connecting with our audience in authentic, relatable ways, uses purpose-driven ideas, cutting-edge tactics and insights, and big-picture thinking to secure measurable outcomes.
We start with an integrated strategic action plan that acts as a blueprint for the development, implementation, measurement, analysis, and continuous optimization of communications products, tools, and proactive strategies to ensure the effective deployment of tactics that will provide the most value and impact to VA.
Impact.
Through a multipronged, data-driven, integrated approach, DCG maximizes suicide prevention messaging reach and impact through highly targeted paid media placements, powerful social media posts, critical website updates and optimizations, and a variety of public-facing deliverables aimed at diverse audiences.
Key accomplishments in FY20:
- Paid media campaigns garnered 1,045,418,748 impressions or people reached, 335,497,773 completed video views, 1,936,602 site visits, and 309,565 resource engagements
- 994 downloads of shareable materials and 710,276 resource locator usage events
- The development, distribution, and placement of 6 million promotional items—including Veterans Crisis Line-branded bandanas, tote bags, and wallet cards
With veterans at the heart of what we do, we use evidence-based research and communications best practices to develop compelling messages. We generate content that resonates. And we deliver solutions that get results.
