PARENT-ORIENTED NATIONAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

CAMPAIGN BRAND GUIDE 

The Brand Guide can help you adapt the “Talk. They Hear You.”® Parent-Oriented 

National Media Campaign to your organization’s own implementation efforts. 

Follow this guide to ensure that products follow the campaign’s style 

requirements to guarantee consistency and integrity of the brand. 

For assistance with this guide, please email underage.drinking@samhsa.gov. 

Table of Contents

Licensing......................................................................................................................... 2

Downloading and Using the “Talk. They Hear You.” Logo ............................................. 2

Altering the Logo ............................................................................................................. 3

Use of SAMHSA and HHS Logos ................................................................................... 4

Linking to www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov ............................................................... 4

Typography ..................................................................................................................... 4

Editorial Guidelines ......................................................................................................... 4

Selected Campaign Product Inventory............................................................................ 5

Using Campaign Products “As-Is” ................................................................................... 5

Including Your Logo and Contact Information on Campaign Products............................ 5

Repurposing the Campaign on Your Organization’s Materials........................................ 7

Customizing Campaign Products .................................................................................... 8

Examples of Customized Products ............................................................................... 11
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Licensing

As a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

(HHS), use of the “Talk. They Hear You.”® name and logo is licensed to organizations 

wishing to adapt and implement the campaign locally. To obtain a license for use of the 

campaign, submit a request to underage.drinking@samhsa.gov. Upon approval, you will 

receive an email verifying your license number. There is no cost to license the 

campaign. To aid in “Talk. They Hear You.” evaluation efforts, your organization may 

be asked questions pertaining to use of the campaign and its resources locally (e.g., 

How many times public service announcements [PSAs] aired in your community, type 

and quantity of print products shared in your community, how many underage drinking 

events you held and what products you shared, etc.).

Downloading and Using the “Talk. They Hear You.” Logo

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 

encourages you to use the “Talk. They Hear You.” logo on all of your promotional and 

outreach materials.

When using the “Talk. They Hear You.” logo on websites and other electronic social 

networking pages, always include a link to the campaign website, 

www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov. Additionally, the logo can serve as the hyperlink to 

the campaign website.

The logo is available in several formats. For printed materials, use the .EPS or .TIF files, 

as these produce the highest quality image. Use the .GIF or .JPEG logos for materials 

that appear on the Web. For more information on various file formats and which formats 

to use for your publications, visit 

desktoppub.about.com/od/graphicformats/a/graphicformats.htm. 

Color

Ideally, you should use the “Talk. They Hear You.” logo in its two-color format. Place 

the logo against a white or light background to increase contrast and legibility. If you use 

the logo on a dark background, use the reverse logo.

“Talk. They Hear You.” logo “Talk. They Hear You.” reverse logo
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The campaign theme colors are red and black. When creating new materials, such as 

postcards, print receipts, etc., follow the established color palette.

Color Printed Materials

Websites and

PowerPoint

Presentations

CMYK Pantone RGB

Red c:29 m:100 y:99 k:34 PMS 188 r:132 g:23 b:26

Black c:0 m:0 y:0 k:0 Process Black r:0 g:0 b:0

Also available is a grayscale version of the logo. Use it when printing a document in 

black and white.

Size 

Although you can resize the logo depending on your needs, SAMHSA strongly 

recommends following these minimum measurements:

• The logo should be no smaller than 1 inch tall by 1.5 inches wide when using it in 

most documents such as brochures and PowerPoint presentations.

White Space

White space around the “Talk. They Hear You.”® logo helps the logo stand out against 

other elements of your design. White space should remain free of photographs, text, 

images, and other logos. For the smallest sized logo, leave at least 0.25 inch of white 

space around each edge of the logo. For larger sizes, leave even more room.

Altering the Logo

To keep a consistent look and build recognition, do not alter the “Talk. They Hear 

You.” logo. The logo elements should always appear in the same order; do not separate 

or distort them. Do not use the “Talk” bubble image with another typeface for the text. In 

addition, avoid busy or heavily patterned backgrounds. Below are some examples of 

improper use of the “Talk. They Hear You.” logo.

Avoid busy backgrounds. Do not separate elements. Do not distort 

dimensions.
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Use of SAMHSA and HHS Logos

Use of SAMHSA and HHS logos is prohibited in creating new materials. Campaign

materials containing SAMHSA and HHS logos have gone through a federal clearance 

process and have received approval from the respective federal agencies. 

Linking to www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov

Whenever possible, use the campaign’s website in your materials. Also, a Quick 

Response code is available, if you want to use it instead of the Web address to direct 

people back to the “Talk. They Hear You.” website. Email 

underage.drinking@samhsa.gov for more information. 

Typography

All materials published for this campaign should use Arial typeface. The standard font 

size for campaign materials is 12 point.

Editorial Guidelines

To ensure that you reference the campaign in a consistent way, follow these guidelines.

First Reference

In print or on the Web, use the full name of the campaign. Example: “Talk. They Hear 

You.”®

Note that the campaign title should be in quotes, with the first letter of each word 

capitalized. The ® should appear at least once per page or product. If multiple mentions 

of “Talk. They Hear You.” are used on a single page/product, the registration mark may 

be omitted after the first mention of the campaign. Reinsert the registration mark with 

the next mention of “Talk. They Hear You.” on a new page if a product is multiple pages 

long. 

Second Reference

When referencing the campaign a second time, use the full name of the campaign 

again, or simply, “campaign.” Do not abbreviate the campaign name as “TTHY” or 

“Talk.”

Referencing SAMHSA

When discussing the campaign, you should use SAMHSA’s name in connection with 

the campaign. 
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Example: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 

(SAMHSA’s) “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign engages parents and 

caregivers of children under age 21 in the prevention of underage drinking

and substance use. 

Selected Campaign Product Inventory

“Talk. They Hear You.”® offers products for coalitions, school staff, public health 

departments, and other community groups to aid local, regional, and national substance 

use prevention efforts. All materials share the common goal of empowering parents and 

caregivers to talk with children early about alcohol and other substances. 

Below is an inventory of popular campaign products that may be used as-is or 

customized for use in your community, as outlined in this guide. 

• :15-, :30-, and :60-second TV PSAs (YouTube and Web Files)

• :30- and :60-second TV PSAs (Broadcast Quality)

• :15-, :30-, and :60-second Radio PSAs and Scripts

• Print PSAs (available in the below sizes)

o 4.25 x 7 inches (Black-and-White Newspaper Advertisement)

o 4.75 x 4.75 inches (Newspaper Advertisement)

o 7 x 4.875 inches (Newspaper Advertisement)

o 7 x 10 inches (Newspaper Advertisement)

o 8.625 x 5 inches (Black-and-White Newspaper Advertisement)

o 47.5 x 68.5 (Bus Advertisement)

o 47 x 69 (Scroller)

o 62 x 43 (Diorama)

• Customizable Parent Resources

• 5 Conversation Goals Handout

• Campaign Backgrounder, Talking Points, and Infographics 

Using Campaign Products “As-Is”

Campaign products, like print, radio, and TV PSAs, customizable fact sheets for 

parents, infographics, and others, are available for use in your community “as-is” (i.e., 

without customizing the product). 

Refer to the products inventory above to access campaign products.

Including Your Logo and Contact Information on Campaign Products

Your organization can include a custom logo and contact information—such as 

addresses, phone numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—on select campaign

products. Refer to the products inventory on page 5 of this guide to access products. 
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You can include logos and contact information on the following products:

Product Type Customization Allowed

TV PSAs • HHS and SAMHSA logos, as well as the tracking code, 

must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—can be 

included on the ending slate with the “Talk. They Hear 

You.” logo and Web URL. 

• Your organization’s logo and contact information must 

appear 15 percent smaller than HHS/SAMHSA logos and 

the campaign’s web URL.

Radio PSAs • Organization’s name and contact information—such as 

addresses, phone numbers, social media handles, and 

Web URLs—can be included at the end of the audio file, 

after the mention of SAMHSA. 

• Do not edit the audio files beyond adding the name of your 

organization and contact information, nor remove the 

tracking code. 

Print PSAs • HHS and SAMHSA logos must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—can be 

included on the bottom of print PSAs with the “Talk. They 

Hear You.” logo and Web URL. 

• Your organization’s logo and contact information must 

appear 15 percent smaller than HHS/SAMHSA logos and 

the campaign’s web URL.

Parent Fact Sheets • HHS and SAMHSA logos must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—can be 

included in the header or footer of parent fact sheets with 

the “Talk. They Hear You.” logo. 
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Product Type Customization Allowed

• Your organization’s logo must appear 15 percent smaller 

than HHS/SAMHSA logos.

5 Conversation 

Goals Handout

• HHS and SAMHSA logos must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—can be 

included on the bottom of the 5 Conversation Goals 

handout with the “Talk. They Hear You.” logo and Web 

URL. 

• Your organization’s logo must appear 15 percent smaller 

than HHS/SAMHSA logos.

Campaign 

Backgrounder,

Talking Points, and 

Infographics

• HHS and SAMHSA logos must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—can be 

included on the bottom of the campaign Backgrounder, 

Talking Points, and Infographics with the “Talk. They Hear 

You.” logo and Web URL. 

• Your organization’s logo must appear 15 percent smaller 

than HHS/SAMHSA logos.

Repurposing the Campaign on Your Organization’s Materials

Your organization can repurpose content from “Talk. They Hear You.”® on its own 

materials, such as print brochures, email newsletters, website landing pages, 

PowerPoint presentations, etc. 

Examples of repurposed content could include, but is not limited to the following: 

• Including the 5 Conversation Goals in a brochure on substance use prevention 

for parents and caregivers; 

• Including the campaign logo on your organization’s website, linking back to 

www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov; 

• Referencing talking points, citations, and other content in PowerPoint 

presentations; and

• Using PSA photos in social media posts about the campaign. 
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Repurposed content should be cited back to the campaign’s website at 

www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov. Refer to pages 2–4 in this guide for more 

information on logo use and editorial guidelines for referencing the campaign. 

Customizing Campaign Products

Campaign products like print, radio, and TV PSAs, customizable fact sheets for parents, 

infographics, and others are also available for customization and use in your community

on a case-by-case basis. Email underage.drinking@samhsa.gov for more information

on customizing “Talk. They Hear You.” products and the approval process. 

Refer to the products inventory on page 5 of this guide to access campaign products.

Customizations could include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Swapping out photos of print PSAs for images that might resonate with your audience 

more; and

• Translating materials into other languages, ensuring that translation does not alter the 

meaning of the materials and is culturally appropriate. 

Product Type Customization Allowed

TV PSAs • HHS and SAMHSA logos, as well as the tracking code, 

must remain in the product.

• Including logo and contact information—such as 

addresses, phone numbers, social media handles, or Web

URLs—on the ending slate with the “Talk. They Hear 

You.” logo and Web URL. 

• Your organization’s logo and contact information must 

appear 15 percent smaller than HHS/SAMHSA logos and 

the campaign’s web URL.

• Adding video to the end of the PSA, such as a message 

from local law enforcement, community leaders, and/or 

local parents/children, is also permissible. 

Radio PSAs • Organization’s name and contact information—such as 

addresses, phone numbers, social media handles, and 

Web URLs—can be included at the end of the audio file, 

after the mention of SAMHSA. 
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Product Type Customization Allowed

• Adding audio to the end of the PSA, such as a message 

from local law enforcement, community leaders, and/or 

local parents/children, is also permissible. 

• Translation of radio PSA scripts is permissible, if the final 

product is consistent with the original messaging and is 

culturally appropriate. 

• Do not edit audio files beyond adding the name of your 

organization and contact information, and extended 

messaging mentioned above, nor remove the tracking 

code. 

Print PSAs • HHS and SAMHSA logos must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, or Web URLs—can be 

included on the bottom of print PSAs with the “Talk. They 

Hear You.” logo and Web URL. 

• Your organization’s logo and contact information must 

appear 15 percent smaller than HHS/SAMHSA logos and 

the campaign’s web URL.

• Photos may be swapped out with local community images 

and/or relevant licensed stock photos. 

• Translation of print PSAs is permissible, if the final product 

is consistent with the original messaging and is culturally 

appropriate. 

Parent Fact Sheets • HHS and SAMHSA logos must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—can be 

included in the header or footer of parent fact sheets with 

the “Talk. They Hear You.” logo. 

• Your organization’s logo must appear 15 percent smaller 

than HHS/SAMHSA logos.
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Product Type Customization Allowed

• Photos may be swapped out with local community images 

and/or relevant licensed stock photos. 

• Translation of Parent Fact Sheets is permissible, if the final 

product is consistent with the original messaging and is 

culturally appropriate. 

5 Conversation 

Goals Handout

• HHS and SAMHSA logos must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—can be 

included on the bottom of the 5 Conversation Goals 

handout with the “Talk. They Hear You.” logo and Web

URL. 

• Your organization’s logo must appear 15 percent smaller 

than HHS/SAMHSA logos.

• Photos may be swapped out with local community images 

and/or relevant licensed stock photos. 

• Translation of the 5 Conversation Goals Handout is 

permissible, if the final product is consistent with the 

original messaging and is culturally appropriate. 

Campaign 

Backgrounder, 

Talking Points, and 

Infographics

• HHS and SAMHSA logos must remain in the product.

• Logo and contact information—such as addresses, phone 

numbers, social media handles, and Web URLs—can be 

included on the bottom of the campaign Backgrounder, 

Talking Points, and Infographics with the “Talk. They Hear 

You.” logo and Web URL. 

• Your organization’s logo must appear 15 percent smaller 

than HHS/SAMHSA logos.

• Photos may be swapped out with local community images 

and/or relevant licensed stock photos. 

• Translation of the campaign Backgrounder, Talking Points, 

and Infographics is permissible, if the final product(s) is 

consistent with the original messaging and is culturally 

appropriate. 
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Examples of Customized Products

Billboard

• Facebook URL 15 percent smaller than the campaign homepage URL

• Partner logo 15 percent smaller than HHS/SAMHSA logos, in bottom left-hand 

corner

TV PSA

• Partner web URL 15 percent smaller than the campaign homepage URL

• Partner logo 15 percent smaller than HHS/SAMHSA logos