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By centering trauma-informed marketing strategies, we create campaigns that are not only eye-catching and engaging, but also build trust, spark connection and uplift communities.

Our Trauma-Informed Marketing Framework

Here’s how we bring trauma-informed language into our marketing work in Oregon and beyond:

• Safety – Audiences are emotionally safeguarded through transparent, empathetic and culturally informed messaging.
• Trustworthiness – Content is accurate, consistent and clear.
• Collaboration & Peer Support – Messages are co-created with communities and people with lived experience, while uplifting trusted resources.
• Empowerment & Choice – Stories focus on strengths, use inclusive language and validate real concerns.
• Cultural Responsiveness – We acknowledge historical and systemic barriers while making space for community voice and traditions.

Trauma-Informed Communication in Action

Here are a few ways our trauma-informed approach has shaped real campaigns:

REAL ID

Recognizing that systemic barriers affect many groups, including rural residents, naturalized immigrants, older adults and transgender/gender-diverse (TGD) Oregonians, we prioritized cultural and historical awareness from the start. Through our community engagement, it became clear the TGD concept needed additional work. So, working directly with members of those communities, we refined scripts and casting to ensure the tone and visuals aligned with lived experience. This commitment to trustworthiness and empowerment built authentic connections that drove results: during the first two months, the TGD spot led our social media campaign in conversions, earned the second highest click-through rate and encouraged more than 205,000 Oregonians to get their REAL IDs. This underscores a key truth about community engagement: when we listen deeply and create with community rather than for them, we create messages that resonate far beyond any one group.

Read more about how community-led insights drove REAL ID success in Oregon.

988 Oregon

Balancing trauma-informed language with compelling storytelling is always a tightrope. You need emotional pull without sensationalism, memorability without harm. With 988, we proved both were possible with ads like Sadie and Someone to Talk to. We leaned into empowerment, collaboration and choice, centering hope as our north star. Community advisor groups helped shape and refine each concept, ensuring nuance and community awareness every step of the way. Instead of crisis tropes, ads focused on real turning points and everyday stressors. And each ad ended with a note of hope, even when issues weren’t neatly resolved, reflecting the real-world role of 988: connection, not quick fixes. The result was stories that respected lived experience and drove awareness. In the first 2 ½ months of the campaign, 988 contacts in Oregon rose 17%. Together, this work shows that trauma-informed storytelling doesn’t limit impact, it amplifies it.

Read more about Connect to Hope: our marketing campaign to grow awareness of 988 in Oregon.

Rethink the Drink

Rethink the Drink (RTD) took a different approach to alcohol messaging: no scare tactics, no blame. Instead, we chose an empathetic, non-judgmental tone, posing questions about alcohol use while making space for reflection without shame, both at the individual and community level. We worked closely with OHA partners including CBOs, county health departments and health equity coalitions to shape campaigns, co-creating content that spoke to people where they were, including a full Spanish-language and Spanglish campaign that connected powerfully with bicultural Latino/a/e/x audiences. The results were astounding. Focus groups consistently described RTD as believable, empowering and respectful, and a recent survey found that 66% of people in Oregon agree alcohol should have less of a presence in their community—proof that safety and trust matter when changing minds.

Read more about Rethink the Drink, a first of its kind campaign.

The takeaway

Trauma-informed communication isn’t just a framework—it’s a practice that makes marketing more inclusive, respectful and effective. By centering safety, trust, empowerment and cultural humility, we create campaigns that don’t just reach people, they resonate with them. For organizations seeking ethical, community-rooted and trauma-informed marketing, this approach offers a path to authentic impact and lasting change.

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We tend to think about alcohol problems in extremes. The drunk driver. The college party gone too far. The person who can’t make it through the day without drinking. These are the stories that dominate headlines and public policy. But they distract us from a quieter—and more common—problem hiding in plain sight.

Excessive drinking has become one of Oregon’s most socially acceptable health risks.

More than 1 in 5 adults in Oregon report drinking excessively. Most aren’t “alcoholics.” They aren’t even the people you might think of when you hear the phrase “problem drinker.” They’re your coworkers. Your neighbors. They’re making dinner, doing laundry, holding down jobs. And they’re drinking in ways that significantly increase their risk for cancer, heart disease, depression, and alcohol-related death—often without realizing it.

Because society has made it very easy not to notice.

That’s the paradox: the more normal something becomes, the less we question it. Alcohol is one of the only drugs we treat as both reward and ritual. It’s how we unwind, how we bond, how we celebrate. It’s stitched into baby showers and grief rituals, kids’ birthday parties and yoga brunches. In many ways, it’s become the emotional duct tape of American adult life. And when something is that ever-present, it’s easy to cross the line into higher-risk use—without even knowing where the line is.

A Quiet Question, Not a Loud Alarm

After identifying and researching this problem, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) selected Coates Kokes to create a brand and campaigns to help people begin to see what had become invisible. Together, we launched Rethink the Drink, the first campaign in the U.S. focused on reframing excessive alcohol use—not as a personal moral failing, but as a normalized behavior with serious health and community consequences.

Getting the tone right was job one. We didn’t wag fingers or sound alarms. Instead, we asked questions. We employed irony. Tools that nudge people to reconsider, not retreat.

We worked closely with OHA partners including community based organizations, county health departments and health equity coalitions to shape campaigns that reflected real lived experiences. We developed creative that showed diverse audiences and a wide spectrum of drinking behaviors—not to judge, but to reflect. And we spoke to people where they were, including a full Spanish-language and Spanglish campaign that connected powerfully with bicultural Latino/a/e/x audiences.

Culture Change Starts with Recognition

The results of the campaign were striking. Nearly half of Oregonians surveyed recognized Rethink the Drink. Among those who drink excessively, recall was even higher. People described the campaign as direct, believable, and non-judgmental. And exposure to the campaign increased the number of people having conversations about their drinking.

One viewer summed it up this way:

“I was really pleased that it wasn’t heavily judgmental… They didn’t have to present them in a crisis point. They were just normal people that were reflecting on their drinking… Someone in an average social situation… I thought that was really appealing.”

That’s the shift we were hoping for—not shame, but awareness. Not fear, but reflection.

Today, 66% of Oregonians surveyed agree that alcohol has too much presence in our communities. That’s not an accident. That’s culture change in motion. And like any meaningful shift, it starts by asking a different question than the one we’ve been handed.

Not: Is alcohol bad?
But: What kind of role do we want alcohol to play in our lives, our families, and our neighborhoods?

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But what happens after that?

That question sat at the heart of our recent campaign with Yamhill County, a project designed to address their steady rise in DUII arrests—especially those involving alcohol, which make up about 78% of cases in the county.

The challenge? Build a campaign that cuts through a normalized drinking culture, encourages safer choices, and doesn’t alienate the wineries or visitors that help define and support the region.

Straight Talk, Local Voice

We knew this campaign couldn’t be preachy. Instead, we focused on a few key truths:

• Most DUII arrests involved local residents—particularly men aged 21–45
• Many visitors come to Yamhill County to enjoy wine, and these folks represent a secondary audience for the campaign
• People aren’t making bad choices because they don’t care—they’re making them because it’s easy to fall into a routine, and hard to see a better option

Our creative leaned into dry wit, straight talk, and a familiar face: the Yamhill County Sheriff.

Across billboards, social media, digital and audio platforms, we ran a series of punchy, pointed lines that prompted folks to reconsider before they grabbed their keys.  Every line ended with a clear, consistent source: A message from the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office.

By putting the Sheriff at the center, we grounded the message in local authority—while giving it a human voice. Not too humorous, but also not too serious. Just straight from the people who see the impact firsthand.

Beyond Awareness: Nudging a Cultural Shift

Raising awareness is only the first step. What we were really trying to spark is a moment of pause. Create a little friction in a habit that’s gone unchallenged for too long.

That meant striking the right tone—one that recognized the realities of rural life, the pride of the community, and the tightrope people walk between convenience and safety.

It also meant walking our own tightrope: delivering a message that challenges behavior without shaming people. Supporting the culture of Yamhill County, while nudging it toward something better.

We know that change doesn’t happen overnight. But culture shifts when enough people start asking new questions—and making new plans.

That’s where we started. And that’s where Yamhill County is headed.

The post “Make a Plan for After Your After-Work Beers”: How we tackled drunk driving culture in Yamhill County appeared first on Coates Kokes.

When life feels overwhelming, where do you turn? Last year, few people in Oregon would have said 988, the three-digit number formerly known as the National Suicide and Prevention Lifeline. A statewide survey at the time found only 21% of a random sample of Oregonians were familiar with 988, and most weren’t sure what to expect if they reached out. Would their privacy be protected? Were their struggles “serious enough” to warrant support?

These uncertainties made it clear that any campaign to raise awareness and build trust in 988 would need to be trauma-informed, hope-centered and demonstrate that this service is for everyone—not just in moments of crisis, but also for mental and emotional well-being, substance use concerns and for support when a loved one is struggling.

From the beginning, our work with Oregon Health Authority was guided by community voices. Leaders from disproportionately affected groups shared their perspectives through interviews, focus groups and standing advisory circles. Their insights made the messaging stronger, ensuring it was culturally relevant, approachable and grounded in lived experience. The creative direction emphasized privacy, counselor training and free access, while showing a variety of scenarios that reflect the diversity of Oregonians’ lived experiences and needs.

On July 16, the campaign rolled out statewide. From billboards and buses to streaming platforms, grocery store screens, radio and TV, the message is meeting people in Oregon where they live, work and unwind. By the end of the year, the 988 Oregon campaign will generate well over 100 million impressions, making it impossible to miss and easier than ever to remember.

And today, on 988 Day especially, we’re reminded why this work matters. It’s not just about awareness: it’s about connection. It’s about making sure everyone in Oregon knows that no one needs to struggle alone. Hope, and help are just three digits away.

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With this blog post we are announcing and publishing our fifth Certified B-Corp and Oregon Benefit Company Annual Report. As we continue to navigate the currents of change, we invite you to read more about our journey this past year and join us in looking forward to building an even more resilient, collaborative future.

Check it out here.

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We started broad—identifying travelers, middle-income households, and those simply unaware of the upcoming requirements as key audiences. But to truly make a difference, we knew we needed to focus on the communities most likely to experience systemic barriers or be underserved by traditional marketing efforts. In this case that meant rural residents, naturalized immigrants, older adults, and transgender/gender diverse (TGD) Oregonians.

Our first step was community listening. We co-developed personas with community members to ground our work in lived experience and cultural context. Then, as the political landscape evolved following the 2024 election, we listened again, engaging community consultants. Through these conversations, it became clear the TGD concept needed more work. Following that feedback, and in about a week’s time, we recruited and launched a focus group with seven community members representing a range of identities.

This wasn’t just consultation for consultation’s sake—we knew we needed to ensure the TGD concept was not only authentic and community-informed, but also nuanced and respectful—designed to do no harm and truly meet community needs. The focus group selected the talent they felt best aligned with the script and provided critical feedback on tone and story arc. Within three days—in budget and on schedule—we’d incorporated their insights and moved to production.

The result? Powerful. During the first two months, the TGD spot led our social media campaign in conversions, earned the second-highest click-through rate and was responsible for nearly 40% of traffic the social media campaign drove to Oregon DMV’s appointment portal. At the time of writing, it’s been viewed 746,000 times.

Since launching in December, our campaign has driven more than 205,000 Oregonians to secure their REAL IDs, surpassing ODOT’s goals ahead of the May 7 deadline. DMV offices are now seeing record-breaking crowds, with 55,000 customers coming through every week—the highest volume they’ve ever served.

This work underscores a key truth in community engagement: when we engage early, listen deeply and create with community, not for them, we build trust and shared ownership—turning outreach into meaningful community investment. And in doing so, we often create messages that resonate far beyond any one group.

The post Real Connections, REAL ID: How Community-Led Insights Drive Success appeared first on Coates Kokes.

CK joining the ranks of these companies made sense — we were already working with mission driven clients like the Oregon Health Authority, Willamette View and Energy Trust of Oregon, so the certification validated how we were already conducting work. But in some ways, the world looks very different in 2025 than it did when we first became certified in 2018. Besides the economic challenges, many organizations are rolling back their initiatives that focus on diversity, equity and sustainability. The bar for recertification is higher now with stricter criteria and tougher questions. And while B Corp is not without its critics, we strongly believe that there’s still value in businesses coming together for the greater good. Earlier this month, we brushed shoulders with some inspiring people at a B Bash hosted by B Local PDX at Wieden+Kennedy. Despite the hardships, we remain committed to building toward a better future.

We know that the B Corp designation isn’t the end-all, be-all of good practices. But it can provide a useful foundation for goals. And that’s something that can be very powerful, especially in our current moment. We’re surrounded by politics that are trying to steer us away from ethical practices. Many people still don’t know what a B Corp even is. But as awareness increases and people continue to support equitable companies, the aim is that more businesses will recognize the benefits of working towards an inclusive and regenerative economy for all of us.

We view certification as the beginning of a process where we constantly examine how we carry ourselves and do business. And we believe in using our business to change things for the better. That means working on important public health campaigns like Rethink the Drink and End HIV Oregon, giving our team time during the workday to volunteer with their favorite organizations or even setting up a booth at a career fair to take headshots of students for their future job-hunting needs. We know the work is never really done.

Did you know that there are over 80 B Corps in the Portland metro area alone? We take a lot of pride in knowing that our city is home to a connective tissue of local businesses that are prioritizing people, planet and purpose.

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We’ve moved!  Not very far.  Just down six floors to Suite 700.  Lots of windows like before. Cool cityscapes to cast our eyes on, and views St. Helens are still available, if you’re in the right spot.

This is a more open floorplan than we’ve had in the past. What we’ve really got in our views is each other. This might seem distracting, but I’m appreciating the increased connection and energy.

We keep the electric lights off or to a minimum, so we really see the sunlight in the office change throughout the day. With windows to the west, north and east, it’s a pleasant journey across the sky.

Extending our lease in the same building is also a recommitment to downtown and the city we live in. We’re here at the heart of it.  Buying coffees, grabbing lunches and trying to contribute to our little village that in return gives us energy and perspective on people we wouldn’t otherwise have. Call it reciprocal, symbiotic or cosmic, it’s working for us.

Finally, I’m enjoying the stronger sense of collaboration the new space affords. Perhaps the most important measure of a work environment is the degree to which it helps us come together. The way we feed off of each other. I believe in judging space by the way it contributes to the culture of the enterprise and the quality of its output – in our case, communications ideas that break through to make authentic connections with audiences we’re trying to reach and help.

It’s our new take, if you will, on Captain James T. Kirk’s quote from the 1960’s Star Trek, “Space: the final frontier…to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations…”  We’re on our way.

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