I Never Thought (Nevada opioid campaign)

▶Videoyoutube.com

“I Never Thought ...”

Nevada DHHS opioid stigma campaign (US-NV) launched August 2020 with KPS3, UNR's CASAT and Three Sticks Productions, built on video stories of Nevadans (a Marine, a mother in recovery, peer specialists, an EMS director, a bereaved father) who 'never thought' they would face opioid addiction.

Years: 2020
Country: United States
Topic: Drugs Opioids
Asks people to: Reduce stigma Seek help
Strategy: Stigma reduction Testimonial
Channel: Social (organic)Social (paid)Website
Audience: Adults General public

Evidence

Self-reportedUnknown

6.5 million ad impressions, 47,000 clicks, over 50,000 page views and pickup by 42 media outlets (reported in UNR's 2023 assessment).

Sponsor (who paid)

Nevada Department of Health and Human Services State local government, funder

Credits (who made it)

KPS3 Creative, 2020 source
Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT), University of Nevada, Reno Strategy, 2020 source
Three Sticks Productions Production, 2020 source

Executions (individual ads)

Nevada Opioid Awareness: "I Never Thought ..." with Austin Pollard 2020 · social-organic · youtube
Nevada Opioid Awareness: "I Never Thought ..." with REMSA director 2020 · social-organic · youtube
Nevada Opioid Awareness: "I Never Thought ..." with Dr. Stephanie Woodard 2020 · social-organic · youtube
Nevada Opioid Awareness: "I Never Thought ..." with recovery volunteer Nicole Dressler 2020 · social-organic · youtube
Nevada Opioid Awareness: "I Never Thought ..." with Kaisha Martinez 2020 · social-organic · youtube
Nevada Opioid Awareness: "I Never Thought ..." with Joe Engle of No Hero in Heroin 2020 · social-organic · youtube
Nevada Opioid Addiction: "I Never Thought ..." with peer support specialist John Newell 2020 · social-organic · youtube

Related campaigns

Nevada State Opioid Response anti-stigma, recovery and prenatal PSAs 2019

Sources

University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health: Nevada Opioid Communication Assessment (2023, for the DHHS Joint Task Force) evaluation · 2023

Research notes

US-NV. Discovered 2026-10-22 for #17. Credits checked 2026-10-22 against fetched pages: KPS3, CASAT and Three Sticks Productions (UNR 2023 assessment: materials 'produced by KPS3 in partnership with' DHHS, CASAT and Three Sticks). Role split is inferred (KPS3 creative, Three Sticks video production, CASAT strategy). KPS3's own case page (kps3.com/blog/how-i-never-thought-connected-the-story-behind-opioid-use-in-nevada/) is cited by the report but no longer shows the article; not re-checked on Wayback (archive offline during this run). Launch year from YouTube upload dates (Aug 10-11, 2020). Run length unknown; the 2023 report describes it among current Nevada campaigns, which is why it is filed for the 2021-2026 inventory. Funding source not stated; not settlement-funded per any source.

Record cases/nv-i-never-thought.json, updated 2026-10-22· Link to this campaign