For many Seattle residents, the rising cost of living has made it harder to meet basic needs like food, housing, childcare, and transportation. While the City of Seattle has developed programs to help, too many residents either don’t know these resources exist or find the process of applying confusing and time-consuming. The Affordable Seattle initiative was created to address these barriers by serving as a one-stop hub where residents could discover and apply for discounts and benefits to ease everyday costs. But for the program to succeed, people needed to know about it – and trust that navigating the portal would be a simple, supportive experience.
Together, Resource Media and the City of Seattle launched a public awareness campaign that promoted Affordable Seattle as a vital resource and highlighted improvements made to the city’s application portal, Civiform, which streamlined the process of applying for benefits. This effort was especially critical for reaching low-income households, immigrant and refugee families, and community-based organizations that connect residents to public resources.
Over three months, the campaign paired bold, bright visuals with straightforward messaging about affordability and access. The ads ran in English, Spanish, and Chinese across Meta, web display, native display, and local community media outlets. The results exceeded industry norms: the digital ads received over 1.4 million impressions and a highly efficient cost per click. The campaign successfully drove traffic to Affordable Seattle’s programs while building broader awareness of a vital resource for Seattle residents.
