Thanet District Council – No Excuse for Abuse campaign.
No one should have to tolerate abuse in the workplace. Following a troubling rise in reported incidents, I was briefed by Thanet District Council to create a campaign that clearly communicates their zero tolerance approach to abuse of their staff. And the the resulting penalties.
Humanising Council employees.
The solution is an integrated print and social media approach aiming to humanise TDC’s staff members, put names to faces and give them an opportunity to tell their story. Most importantly to remind people that anyone they subject to abuse is also someone’s son, daughter, mother or father.
We agreed that imagery should celebrate and elevate TDC’s staff and avoid portraying them as helpless victims. Along with photographer Steve Lancefield we created a set of natural but powerful portraits, showcasing a diverse range of people who take great pride in their jobs. These are coupled with a bold and direct headline and a shared manifesto: It’s my job to clean your streets / enforce parking / maintain facilities. Not to take abuse’.
The campaign was rolled out on Council vehicles, vans and trucks as well as posters, banners and a weekly social media campaign that tells a different staff member story each week.
The result has been enthusiastically embraced by both staff and residents.
“We approached Andy to create an impactful campaign with a very short lead time. He was super responsive. On shoot day, he put the participants - who weren’t used to being in front of a camera - at ease with encouraging, clear direction. And the campaign has achieved what we had hoped for and more. It was a real pleasure to work with him.”
Strategic Communications Director – Thanet District Council
