When it comes to policy rollouts, one-size-fits-all messaging rarely resonates with our most vulnerable communities. Enacted in 2005, the REAL ID Act set nationwide security standards for state-issued IDs. Each state was responsible for educating residents and encouraging adoption. In Oregon, where uptake lagged heading into the May 7 deadline, the Oregon Department of Transportation and CK faced a unique challenge: turning a federal compliance effort into a locally relevant, culturally competent campaign that would engage Oregon’s diverse communities. What we found: when a message feels authentic and moves one community, it often resonates broadly across others.

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.