Ophelia reframed the opioid addiction debate in striking ‘F*ck Rehab’ campaign

Many people believe abstinence-based rehab is the most effective approach to drug and alcohol treatment. In fact, it can be deadly—a point made in memorable fashion in Ophelia Health’s “F*ck Rehab” campaign, which advocates for medications as addiction treatment (MAT). The campaign—which won gold for Purpose-Led Campaign of the Year among providers and insurers in the Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards 2023—used outdoor posters, an influencer collaboration, organic and paid social posts, LinkedIn op-eds, PR outreach and a web landing page to raise awareness of MAT and Ophelia, educate the public on telehealth options for treatment and generally destigmatize addiction. Treatment plans without MAT lead to a 90% relapse rate within three months, Ophelia says. Only one in three treatment programs offer MAT, even though it can be administered via telehealth and lowers geographic and lifestyle barriers to lifesaving care. “Thoughts and prayers won’t stop opioid addiction. Treatment with medicine will,” said one of a series of colorful, typography-based outdoor ads. The “F*ck Rehab” campaign led to earned media via stories by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, NBC and CBS. Ophelia Health said the effort led to spikes in organic traffic and branded search, and gave the brand a point of view and a clear visual brand identity that is now being leveraged across other channels. See all of the Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards winners here

Ophelia reframed the opioid addiction debate in striking ‘F*ck Rehab’ campaign

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