A young person with short brown hair and bangs smiles warmly as they hug another person. The setting is outdoors with a green, blurry background.The image includes colorful text bubbles with messages including "TAKE CARE," "UR FEELINGS MATTER," and "TALK 2ME?"

Support for young people, by young people

Samaritans has been preventing suicide and providing hope since 1977 by connecting people to resources that they need, when they need them. In response to the growing and urgent mental health crisis among young people, they launched a peer-to-peer support text line.

As Samaritans’ branding and messaging had not traditionally been geared toward a young audience, Hairpin was tasked with crafting a voice, tone, look, and feel that would let young people know that this resource is for (and by) them—without diminishing the Samaritans legacy brand.

Client
Samaritans, Inc.
Services
Naming
Brand Strategy
Brand Voice + Messaging
Campaign Design
Social Media
Video
Presentation Design
Event Design

Hey, Sam!

Hairpin first came up with a name for the service that communicates its approachable, inclusive, non-judgmental style of support: Hey Sam. Then, we developed a flexible logo, color palette, and set of digital “stickers” with simple yet effective taglines to brand Hey Sam assets.

Getting the word out

Hairpin executed the public launch of Hey Sam in March 2022. Then, we implemented a paid and organic social media strategy, designed in-person advertisements, created swag for supporters and stakeholders, crafted messages for key audiences (including funders), and worked with youth to co-create powerful multimedia content that reflects Hey Sam’s community and audience.

Charting the path forward

After a successful launch, Hairpin worked closely with the Samaritans team to dive deeper into the future of both the Hey Sam support line and brand writ large. Hairpin proposed scaling the organization’s “befriending” model to reach individuals and communities who work with and for youth, activating a network around youth mental health. To bring this vision to life, Hairpin delivered a series of tactical recommendations for Samaritans to pursue in the short and long-term.

Since its start in March 2022, thousands of young people have used the Hey Sam support text line. With a strong brand foundation to build on, Hey Sam is now equipped with a set of tactics to continue spreading awareness of their resources and best practices while connecting youth with the support they need.