When we first created the Social Impact team for facebook's Creative Shop, our goal was to work with brands to help them see the importance and impact they can have by putting their money where their missions are. To demonstrate this, we started with our own brand, Facebook. And in 2018, we created Stop Opioid Silence (SOS), an urgent call to destigmatize opioid use, build community and provide resources for those in need. We partnered with the experts at Partnership for Drug Free Kids to ensure we had the greatest impact.
Launched on Capitol Hill with bipartisan representation in March 2018, the campaign reminded people that they are never alone and helping them feel empowered to share their stories with each other, a medical professional, or family and friend. ‘Stop Opioid Silence’ (SOS) features compelling stories of hope, loss and recovery, designed to inspire others to break their silence in the fight toward ending this epidemic.
The original SOS work featured stories from 12 very different individuals who have been impacted by the opioid crisis, either personally or through a loved one. Each story details their experience – what led them to addiction, the struggles they faced, and how they recovered. The stories were shared organically on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and through platform ads and Messenger.
In addition to breaking the stigma, we wanted to impact real change, so we went to the source. Over the course of the campaign, we interviewed hundreds of U.S. Representatives on camera, detailing the effect of this pandemic in their own states and on the country as a whole. In the second phase of the campaign, we asked both Congress and the Senate to take a pledge to end opioid silence. Nearly 150 US representatives did just that, going on record with their constituents and the world with a commitment to do everything in their power to Stop Opioid Silence.
In October 2018, the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act was signed into law.
TO SET THE TEMPO FOR THE MOVEMENT TO STOP OPIOID SILENCE, WE WORKED WITH EARCANDY AND COMPOSER, FILIP MITROVIC, TO CREATE AN ORCHESTRAL PIECE PUNCTUATED BY THE S-O-S FROM MORSE CODE, WHICH TAKES YOU ON A JOURNEY FROM THE DARK URGENCY OF FEAR TO ENLIGHTENED HOPE THROUGH OUR COLLECTIVE STORY.
