Hotfoot Design and local NHS trust win digital marketing award

Lancaster-based creative agency Hotfoot Design, and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, have won ‘Best Digital Marketing Campaign – Public Sector’ at the Northern Digital Awards 2023.

The judges said of the campaign for the Resilience Hub: “This campaign was a clear winner. We loved that they used a value proposition early in the development of the campaign. They had clear objectives, great photography and a fantastic message.”

The Resilience Hub is a vital resource first created to support frontline public sector workers and volunteers feeling the psychological impact of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.

Working with the team at the NHS, Hotfoot developed a value proposition and brand strategy, brand identity and guidelines, website design, video and photography, and a range of campaign assets for use across multiple channels including social media and outdoor.

The team developed a clear and compelling message – “You’re here for us. We’re here for you.”

They created an engaging and friendly brand identity, inspired by the rainbow motif used during the pandemic to signal public support for frontline workers.

To make the campaign relatable and to reduce stigma around seeking help for mental health they featured portrait photography of real people in our region working in these professions. No stock images. No abstract graphics. 

Hotfoot also created a responsive, accessible and search engine optimised website with an intuitive user journey featuring a self-assessment tool, sign-posting for urgent help, and help for others, as well as case studies and resources.

The strategy was to make the campaign easy to find with no change in behaviour, so they harnessed channels the target audiences access for work every day – newsletters, email footers, intranets, screensavers (backed up with physical media for vehicles, canteens, restrooms featuring a QR code).

The campaign resulted in over 2,500 online self-assessments and – most importantly – over 1,200 individual referrals for specialist psychological support and treatment to date.

The campaign was also selected by the Cabinet Office as an example of National Best Practice in Public Sector Digital Communications.