Ladders are some of the most often-borrowed equipment in the garage. Given this reality, how could an energy company effectively transform an innocuous ladder into a message to benefit the consumer while tying a safety message to this vital piece of equipment?
Ladder tags. Think for a moment — how many times has that one annoying neighbor come over and asked to borrow a ladder? Everyone has one, the one that does not shovel his driveway or sidewalk – waits to clean the gutters until spring? The one who mows his lawn when normal people are still drinking that first cup of coffee, and constantly borrows the ladder because it is so multipurpose? It is used to hang clothes at a garage sale. When he trims trees on a ladder, there is a birds-eye-view of our windows. Is he playing I Spy?
If he were in MidAmerican Energy Company’s region, the next time he asks to borrow the ladder (or helps himself ) he will also get a safety message. Attached to the ladder will be ten simple words that can save a life — “STAY CLEAR of overhead power lines when using a ladder”. This safety message is prominently printed on one side of the ladder tag. On the flip side the weatherproof tag, similar to a luggage tag, are spaces for the owner’s name, address and phone number (a nice reminder to neighbor Jim to get the ladder out of his garage and back to its rightful owner).
The key message and true benefit hit the mark. That the neighbor will read the tag is a positive thing considering how many injuries occur every year from ladders contacting electrical lines. While not traditional safety messaging, the tag is effective.
After waiting months to buy that new power tool, it is finally in hand. Once home, the box is opened, the tool is unveiled and the paperwork is tossed aside. The power tool is plugged in and the work begins immediately. Wait, what about that paperwork with the electrical safety information? That little folded piece of paper should be read first, right?
Of course it should. But it usually is not.
Why would we, people involved in the energy industry, choose to ignore reading the information in those warnings when we inherently know the potential hazards? We do it for the same reasons that many consumers choose to ignore the warnings. They are just black words on white paper that have been seen a hundred times before. That would be acceptable if safety messages actually were all the same. They are not. Whether on a tool or a hair dryer, electrical warnings can look similar and send the signal of “blah, blah, blah”.
As marketers, how do we ensure consumers read and understand the proper message? The tough test is to also meet regulatory requirements by delivering safety messages by effective and measurable means. MidAmerican Energy’s ladder tag safety initiative holds the key. The ladder tag program built upon a solid foundation of traditional broad-based media such as TV and radio, and expanded upon it with a unique grassroots approach to safety.
In the TV spot developed for MidAmerican, family members stage an “intervention” for a man who continually endangered himself by accidental contact with electrical safety hazards such as sticking a fork into a toaster and using power tools with frayed cords. This informative and entertaining spot fit the brand’s personality. By exposing a large audience to the safety message, it also fulfilled regulatory requirements.
The grassroots approach was designed strategically to take safety messages to the consumer at the point of interaction with a potential safety issue, in this case, ladders and power lines.
MidAmerican partnered with Lowe’s, a key home improvement center in the utility’s prime market to distribute the tags. Ladders in the store carried the eye-catching tags. Point-of-sale signage drove home the message. Tags were also distributed at a local safety fair and were backed by public relations efforts.
The successful campaign had the following characteristics:
Safety messaging has expanded into several other stores throughout MidAmerican Energy’s territory.
The MidAmerican Energy ladder safety campaign worked. It worked at the corporate level because it backed their brand message of being “Obsessively, Relentlessly at Your Service®.” It worked at a local level because consumers saw a proactive, caring message. Most of all, it worked because consumers saw it. It was hard to ignore. The message was in their face both at the pointof-sale and every time the ladder was used. That is definitely more than can be said for safety messages printed in black and white, and either tucked away in the depths of a new power tool box or deposited in the circular file.
Next time Jim wants to borrow a ladder, tell him to get his own. Give him a ladder tag with your company’s safety message printed on it for his new ladder — in case another neighbor wants to borrow it.
About the Author
Kevin Hutchison is an Account Director at Bozell & Jacobs, an Omaha-based marketing communications firm. Kevin may be reached at (402) 965-4318 or khutchison@bozelljacobs.com.
Ladder tags. Think for a moment — how many times has that one annoying neighbor come over and asked to borrow a ladder? Everyone has one, the one that does not shovel his driveway or sidewalk – waits to clean the gutters until spring? The one who mows his lawn when normal people are still drinking that first cup of coffee, and constantly borrows the ladder because it is so multipurpose? It is used to hang clothes at a garage sale. When he trims trees on a ladder, there is a birds-eye-view of our windows. Is he playing I Spy?
If he were in MidAmerican Energy Company’s region, the next time he asks to borrow the ladder (or helps himself ) he will also get a safety message. Attached to the ladder will be ten simple words that can save a life — “STAY CLEAR of overhead power lines when using a ladder”. This safety message is prominently printed on one side of the ladder tag. On the flip side the weatherproof tag, similar to a luggage tag, are spaces for the owner’s name, address and phone number (a nice reminder to neighbor Jim to get the ladder out of his garage and back to its rightful owner).
The key message and true benefit hit the mark. That the neighbor will read the tag is a positive thing considering how many injuries occur every year from ladders contacting electrical lines. While not traditional safety messaging, the tag is effective.
After waiting months to buy that new power tool, it is finally in hand. Once home, the box is opened, the tool is unveiled and the paperwork is tossed aside. The power tool is plugged in and the work begins immediately. Wait, what about that paperwork with the electrical safety information? That little folded piece of paper should be read first, right?
Of course it should. But it usually is not.
Why would we, people involved in the energy industry, choose to ignore reading the information in those warnings when we inherently know the potential hazards? We do it for the same reasons that many consumers choose to ignore the warnings. They are just black words on white paper that have been seen a hundred times before. That would be acceptable if safety messages actually were all the same. They are not. Whether on a tool or a hair dryer, electrical warnings can look similar and send the signal of “blah, blah, blah”.
As marketers, how do we ensure consumers read and understand the proper message? The tough test is to also meet regulatory requirements by delivering safety messages by effective and measurable means. MidAmerican Energy’s ladder tag safety initiative holds the key. The ladder tag program built upon a solid foundation of traditional broad-based media such as TV and radio, and expanded upon it with a unique grassroots approach to safety.
In the TV spot developed for MidAmerican, family members stage an “intervention” for a man who continually endangered himself by accidental contact with electrical safety hazards such as sticking a fork into a toaster and using power tools with frayed cords. This informative and entertaining spot fit the brand’s personality. By exposing a large audience to the safety message, it also fulfilled regulatory requirements.
The grassroots approach was designed strategically to take safety messages to the consumer at the point of interaction with a potential safety issue, in this case, ladders and power lines.
MidAmerican partnered with Lowe’s, a key home improvement center in the utility’s prime market to distribute the tags. Ladders in the store carried the eye-catching tags. Point-of-sale signage drove home the message. Tags were also distributed at a local safety fair and were backed by public relations efforts.
The successful campaign had the following characteristics:
- Simple Message. “STAY CLEAR.” was placed on large, colorful tags and signs in the participating store. The tags were unlike bedding safety tags laden with the plethora of information commonplace in product literature.
- Beneficial and Informational. Buyers of new ladders received a free tag to keep their name prominently displayed wherever their ladder landed. At the safety fair, tags were made available for any ladder owner who desired one. The ladder tags included a Web address and a phone tip line for additional self-help information.
- Continual Message. Ladders, like many products, have peak purchase seasons – late fall and early spring – but are purchased all year long. The message became a year-round platform for in-store effectiveness.
- P.R. Friendly. Public relations and media teams are always interested in communicating public safety. Creative safety information projects make good soft news for media teams to promote public safety. The company provided media information that served a dual purpose. Should safety violations become a news story the media will already have on their desk information on prevention and safety standards. The Des Moines, Iowa press covered a local safety message and credited MidAmerican as a company dedicated to its customers. MidAmerican simultaneously delivered its key message and received a wealth of goodwill.
- Cost-Effective. “STAY CLEAR” was costeffective, quantifiable, and led to new partnerships. The materials were simple, durable, and inexpensive. MidAmerican recorded the number of tags distributed through each channel, so the number of consumers exposed to the message through stores and event traffic could be counted.
- Relationship Building. The relationship built with the home improvement center has become a meaningful partnership for future safety communication efforts.
Safety messaging has expanded into several other stores throughout MidAmerican Energy’s territory.
The MidAmerican Energy ladder safety campaign worked. It worked at the corporate level because it backed their brand message of being “Obsessively, Relentlessly at Your Service®.” It worked at a local level because consumers saw a proactive, caring message. Most of all, it worked because consumers saw it. It was hard to ignore. The message was in their face both at the pointof-sale and every time the ladder was used. That is definitely more than can be said for safety messages printed in black and white, and either tucked away in the depths of a new power tool box or deposited in the circular file.
Next time Jim wants to borrow a ladder, tell him to get his own. Give him a ladder tag with your company’s safety message printed on it for his new ladder — in case another neighbor wants to borrow it.
About the Author
Kevin Hutchison is an Account Director at Bozell & Jacobs, an Omaha-based marketing communications firm. Kevin may be reached at (402) 965-4318 or khutchison@bozelljacobs.com.
