Northern PowerGrid needed to ensure they were reaching vulnerable customers with a strategic campaign strategy that would build awareness and increase sign-ups to their register. Customers needed to have an intrinsic understanding of the benefits and not feel embarrassed to get support.

Following in-depth customer research into the perception of Northern PowerGrid’s Priority Services Register customers gave clear feedback that ‘register’ carried negative associations. We needed to move away from this positioning and create a new way of communicating the service that removed any stigma or barrier to signing up.

We re-positioned the Priority Services Register to the Priority Membership Membership and developed a supporting and highly empathetic tone of voice which looked to engage with a wider regional audience putting the focus back on ‘joining’.

By putting the emphasis on membership it created a sense of belonging which comes with being identified as a member. Customers had to proactively become a member rather than signing up to a register which feels less personal and more passive. A member receives benefits and feels part of a wider group with similar values.

We created an integrated campaign covering a social media strategy and implementation plan,including creating specific vulnerability animations to partner with annual focus groups i.e. National Dementia week. We also created partner information packs to support local community events throughout the year.