Veteran Support (IAVA and Ad Council)

adland.tv

Also: Community of Veterans

Multiyear PSA campaign launched by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Ad Council on Veterans Day 2008, the first aimed directly at Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. It sought to reduce stigma and isolation so more veterans would seek help for combat-related mental health injuries such as PTSD and depression, connecting them with peers online.

Years: 2008
Country: United States
Topic: Mental health Suicide prevention
Asks people to: Seek help Talk to someone
Strategy: Social norms Testimonial
Channel: Outdoor Print Radio Social (paid)TV
Audience: Adults Parents Young adults
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.

Evidence

Self-reportedUnknown

An Effie Awards case study (2010) reports campaign results; not reviewed. No independent evaluation found.

Sponsor (who paid)

Ad Council Ad Council (pro bono), campaign producer
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) NGO, partner/sponsor

Credits (who made it)

BBDO New York Creative, 2008 source
Saatchi & Saatchi New York Creative, 2009 source

Executions (individual ads)

Signs 2009 · tv

Related campaigns

Don't Wait. Reach Out. (Veteran Suicide Prevention) 2021–now

Sources

IAVA Annual Report 2008 sponsor · 2008
Effie Awards case study NA 2010 4439 reference · 2010
Ad Council / IAVA - Signs (adland.tv) archive · 2009

Research notes

Credits checked 2026-10-22 against fetched pages: BBDO New York (SHOOT repost of the 2008 launch release, 'Created pro bono by ad agency BBDO New York'; IAVA's Ad Council page also credits BBDO), Saatchi & Saatchi New York (SHOOT repost of the Veterans Day 2009 release, 'Created pro bono by ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi', 'We've got your back' spot). Corrected 2026-10-22: BBDO years narrowed to 2008 and source moved from adland (page did not load); Saatchi & Saatchi dated 2009 and source corrected (the earlier SHOOT link was the BBDO release). Adland lists a 2009 'Signs' spot under BBDO NY, not verified. IAVA's page lists Ad Council campaign years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2017. Effie case should be read for outcome claims. endYear unknown. Links (#82) checked 2026-10-23: Ad Council pages from the Wayback Machine (adcouncil.org's old campaign pages), the Our History timeline or its case studies; dead campaign sites point to a Wayback copy from the campaign years.

Record cases/ad-council-iava-veteran-support.json, updated 2026-10-23· Link to this campaign