Worksafe - UMM — Alberta Gunner

SENIOR CREATIVE

WorkSafe had a problem. Young audiences knew who they were but weren’t able to relate to the brand. As the most vulnerable people in the workplace, who saw the brand as an authoritative regulator for physical safety issues only, we needed to find a way to cut through and resonate in order to deliver our message.

Enter UMM. A visual and verbal representation of that familiar sinking feeling when something’s not quite right. When the line of safety is being crossed and you don’t know what to do about it. Both a new campaign platform and a new character, UMM aims to help young people identify unsafe behaviour in the workplace, and empowers them to take action with the support of WorkSafe. UMM builds on WorkSafe’s ongoing ‘Unsafe is Always Unacceptable’ campaign, and talks to the diverse range of workplaces and situations young people can find themselves in.

We needed to create a character that could talk about serious issues in a humorous way, a way that cuts through for young people. A way they could relate to, without feeling triggered. So we created a big, orange, fluffy, blob. A genderless creature that is so unique, no audience was excluded, relating simply to the vulnerable feeling UMM represents. Emotive 3D animated facial expressions added comedic value, and allowed these messages to hit home in a psychologically safe way.

The initial launch on social was followed up with 6 x 15 second films, each depicting a different workplace safety issue and subsequent ‘UMM moment’.

UMM was an instant hit with young workers and allowed WorkSafe to connect on important safety issues. UMM merchandise continues to engage young workers at careers expos across the state.