Following the success of UPP’s award-winning safety campaign, we were asked to develop the next chapter in the organisation’s employe wellbeing campaign. This time, the focus shifted from preventing accidents to encouraging healthier lifestyles, supporting employees’ mental health, physical wellbeing and everyday habits across campuses throughout the UK.
The challenge was to create a year-long campaign that employees would genuinely engage with. Rather than overwhelming people with advice or statistics, it needed to make positive change feel simple, practical and achievable.
The heartbeat
Big lifestyle changes rarely start with big decisions but instead start with one small step. Instead of telling employees to completely transform their health, we celebrated the small actions that gradually make a difference. Walking a little further. Taking a proper break. Talking to someone. Looking after yourself and those around you.
To bring the idea to life, we created a playful visual style inspired by vintage instruction manuals and illustrated “how-to” guides. Working alongside illustrator Son of Alan, we used surreal, humorous scenarios to contrast everyday healthy choices with exaggerated alternatives, making every message memorable without ever becoming preachy. The result was a campaign that felt optimistic, approachable and full of personality, helping wellbeing become something people wanted to engage with rather than something they felt obliged to read.
The impact
Rolled out across UPP’s university campuses nationwide, the campaign achieved high levels of engagement while reinforcing the organisation’s commitment to employee wellbeing. It helped build on the momentum created by the previous safety campaign, extending the conversation beyond the workplace and into everyday health.
The programme delivered measurable improvements, with 73% of employees agreeing that UPP cares about their wellbeing, more than 600 colleagues receiving basic mental health awareness training, and over 200 workplace improvement projects completed across the business. More importantly, it demonstrated that changing behaviour doesn’t always require dramatic interventions. Sometimes, the smallest steps have the greatest impact.
