A campaign by energy giant ScottishPower to improve health and safety performance among its staff has been recognised as one of the UK’s most effective marketing messages.
The ‘It Matters’ campaign, which was designed by Glasgow-based design agency Good Creative, featured tongue-in-cheek text and light-hearted visuals to emphasis the importance of health and safety messages. The initiative has helped the company to reduce sickness absence by 22 per cent, while lost-time accidents have dropped by 60 per cent, saving the business £2.5 million.
ScottishPower comprises a number of divisions, including SP Energy Retail, SP Energy wholesale, and SP Energy Networks – all of which operate autonomously and had previously created safety messages individually. The company felt there was a lack of consistency in these messages and, as a result, concluded that its health and safety performance was good but had plateaued.
In May 2009, the company launched the ‘It Matters’ campaign to create a branded safety message that would work across all divisions. It emphasised a message that health and safety issues affect the lives of employees at all times, whether they might be making a cup of tea, commuting to work, or wiring a plug.
The campaign was rewarded with a top honour at the annual Marketing Design Awards after winning the Energy and Utilities category. ScottishPower director Doug Wilson revealed that the award was further evidence of the campaign’s success. He said: “The impact of the campaign on our health and safety culture has been positive and sustaining. The extent to which we have further educated what I know to be a tough audience is nothing short of remarkable.”
