NJAMHAA-70th-anniversary-publication

46 makers, in addition to meetings and correspondence with government representatives. The media include local, state and national news and trade publica- tions; TV and radio stations; and, beginning five years ago, social media. “This diversified approach is comprehensive and puts different pressure points on the system. We use themes and campaigns to convey our message in ways that are understandable, en- gaging and memorable,” Dr. Wentz said, emphasizing the importance and impact of the human element – specifically, illustrating how funding, legislation and regulations affect individuals who need services that NJAMHAA members provide. In 1996, NJAMHAA developed an especially compel- ling multimedia campaign, Mugshots, which media outlets, including major networks, released multiple times over three years – an unprecedented long life for a public service announcement that had millions of dollars of value of publicity. “When I first came to NJAMHAA, I was very struck by how stigmatized mental illness and addictions were. I didn’t know if I had any direct experience with anyone with serious mental illness because they didn’t reveal it, due to stigma. I later learned that I did have such expe- rience. The Mugshots campaign was one of the most exciting projects to raise visibility and it was wildly successful,” Dr. Wentz said. NJAMHAA received pro bono creative services from Gillespie Advertising and other support from some of the then Pharmaceutical Advisory Council members. “The campaign aimed to change the public perception of people with mental illness and it helped lead to a lot of policy achieve- ments,” said Dr. Wentz, citing the 1996 New Jersey parity law and federal parity law in 2008 as exam- ples. “The Mugshots campaign was impactful because of its simple, compelling design – it stopped people in their tracks – and the timing – there was a lot of stigma associated with people seeking help, so it resonated with many people. There’s a major advan- tage to living between New York and Philadelphia, two of the nation’s most major media outlets. There was a snowball effect nationwide. It was the equiva- lent of going viral today,” recalled Sharon Oddy, who was NJAMHAA’s Marketing and Public Policy Manag- er from 1996 to 1998. The campaign was recognized with the national Telly Award, which has thousands of nominations every year and small trade associa- tions typically don’t win, according to Oddy. “While I’m proud of the award, I’mmore proud of the im- pact: helping people understand that there should