Thrive LDN x CAN Digital – testing a targeted, digital approach for promoting the #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign
Wellbeing 
Suicide prevention 
Thrive LDN, with support and funding from the GLA, has been working with CAN Digital to test digital promotion to directly signpost Londoners to Zero Suicide Alliance training, with the aim of increasing the number of people accessing the training course.
Thrive LDN’s communications lead, James Ludley, shares an update of this work on the blog.
This is a story of 16 London borough councils plus Transport for London (TfL) successfully collaborating to boost uptake of a vital resource that could help prevent suicide – with support and funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA).
With money for communications tight in local government and elsewhere, we have been reaching Londoners with messages about online suicide prevention awareness training course by making smart use of the media channels local authorities own, using minimal budget.
London boroughs taking part have been running advertising under the mayoral backed #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign at no cost on one or more of their owned media channels including their websites, email, and out-of-home poster sites.
CAN was the perfect choice for media partner for the campaign as it has the infrastructure and expertise to facilitate this activity. It runs a network that delivers advertising on public sector websites, which includes Ealing, Redbridge, Hammersmith and Fulham, Havering, and TfL – to name but a few.
And it has developed ad tech that enables councils not on the network to advertise the campaign in a very cost-effective way to people who have visited their webpages when they are elsewhere online – on their favourite news and lifestyle websites and social media channels (including Facebook and Instagram). For example, the campaign allowed suicide prevention training ads run on Men’s Health and the Independent news websites.
CAN was also able to utilise anonymous data collected from dozens of public health-related campaigns they previously delivered in the capital to remarket the #ZeroSuicideLDN ads to 1,000s more Londoners.
Impact
In the initial two months of the campaign from mid-July to mid-September – using the power of London’s public sector media estates – the #ZeroSuicideLDN ads:
- Reached more than 15,000 people.
- Led to over 4,300 clicking through to the Zero Suicide Alliance’s training courses.
- Improved the numbers taking up the training: from a decreasing low of 2,679 In June to a much-improved 3,226 by July and a peak of 6,137 in September when the campaign worked in conjunction with a mail-out from the Mayor of London to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September).
If all London boroughs joined in, and their media estates could be used to promote the #ZeroSuicideLDN training, many more people could be helping to reduce suicide right across the capital in the New Year.
Drop the Thrive LDN team a message to see how further collaboration could work in your borough.
Notes
The organisations who participated in this phase of #ZeroSuicideLDN: London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Brent, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Havering, Hillingdon, Lewisham, Redbridge, Richmond-upon-Thames, Sutton, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth plus Transport for London.
About CAN
CAN is a media advertising partner for the public sector, working exclusively with local authorities, NHS, blue light, post-16 education and charity organisations. For more than a decade, they have planned and delivered digital campaigns that nudge people towards behaviour change for good. They also facilitate the use of owned media to amplify campaigns and earn income to help fund public services.
CAN believes that sharing insight is the public sector’s superpower. Exchanging knowledge and ideas saves time and public money. They offer free learning opportunities through regular webinars and dedicated hubs for those working in Foster Carer Recruitment, Blue Light Services and Public Health. Contact CAN: