Dave Prentis, General Secretary of the UK’s largest union UNISON today unveiled UNISON’s latest plans to use TV advertising to reach out to potential members.
The advert will be broadcast at peak times with the first ad shown on 6 October in the middle of Coronation Street and Channel 4 News. Screening will continue until Sunday 24 October on ITV 1 Channel 4, Channel 5 and satellite across the UK -a total of 3,000 spots.
The advert features a woman (Gwynne McElveen) walking through the streets to the offices of her boss (Paul Butterworth) – as she walks she is joined by more and more workers – to the tune of One, sung by Harry Nilsson. She walks into her boss’s office, he looks up, ignores her, she clears her throat and the whole snake of people coughs with her, the room shakes, he stops what he is doing and pays attention.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON said:
“This advert has a powerful message about the strength of trade unions. UNISON’s membership has consolidated and started to grow steadily, but we need to recruit 145,000 members each year just to stand still. Last year we recruited 148,755 new members, that’s 407 a day – an enormous achievement but one we want to build on. That means thinking of new and innovative ways of reaching out to potential members.
“UNISON is second to none in looking after its members and their interests. We protect and represent them in the workplace, we offer benefits ranging from legal advice and representation to cheap insurance. And we can influence Government policy on their behalf.
“Television is a very effective way of bringing the message directly into peoples’ homes that with UNISON behind them they are not only protected at work, but their voice will be heard where and when it counts.”
The message is simple – one is a lonely number – but with UNISON you are one in a million – get the strength of a union behind you.
UNISON’s advertising has two objectives – to drive recruitment and raise the profile of the union among key decision-makers, existing members and potential members.
It cost £410,507 to produce and the media budget for the advertising is more than £1m.
It will be supplemented by adverts in national newspapers and in the specialist press, through outdoor advertising on poster sites. Regions, branches, UNISONdirect and the union nationally, are equipped to recruit as many new members as possible.
Posters, leaflets and postcards have been produced for activists to use in workplaces across the UK to support the drive; the postcard will be mailed to new starters, non-members and potential members.
Branches have geared up for the recruitment drive by mapping their workplace(s), establishing targets, agreeing timetables to carry out face-to-face recruiting on the back of the ad.
The union hopes that the new advert will build on the success of the trail-blazing “ants and bear” TV advert used when the union was first created.
Ends
Press screening of the ad: Monday 4 October at 1pm at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London.
Delaney Lund Knox Warren is the advertising agency behind the TV campaign.
The ad will be seen in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by around 75% of the adult population. Around a third of adults will see it more than 3 times.