Manchester’s The Behaviours Agency has been working with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) for nearly 18 months on a strategy and campaign to encourage adults to brush up on their numeracy skills.
The campaign, which is now live, is built on the insight that a lack of numeracy skills can lead people to negative emotions: anxiety, stress, confusion and low confidence. However, the thought of going back to ‘school’ brings up painful memories, outweighing any motivation to act.
The agency’s strategy is to shift the focus from ‘learning maths’ to ‘getting comfortable with numbers,’ a process which requires the audience to identify with needing to improve numeracy skills because they can see how it might make a difference in their everyday life – for example, with helping with a child’s homework, making sure finances are managed correctly or carrying out tasks at work.
With comfort being the key to gaining memorability, the agency designed everything to be as comfortable as possible. The font, typography, tone and art direction were all specially crafted to feel welcoming and engaging, while the campaign’s key visuals are brightly coloured, alongside comfortable sofas that learners relax on as they talk about their experiences of brushing up their numeracy skills.
Launching this week, the campaign will air on radio, social media and digital channels, and feature three hero case study videos which feature adults sharing their own experiences of recognising a need to improve numeracy skills, how they did it and the improvements they now benefit from.
The sofas will also be used as part of an activation roadshow across the West Midlands.
Sue Benson, MD at the Behaviours Agency said: “We’re delighted to see this important and significant campaign go live. Making learning accessible and achievable is fundamental to improving lives and so proud we’ve been able to work with the WMCA on this.”
Dr Fiona Aldridge, head of insight and intelligence at the WMCA added: “We know there are many reasons why people are reluctant to get back into learning later in life, and The Behaviours Agency has drawn on these insights to create a compelling and engaging campaign that we’re confident will have a positive effect on the numeracy skills of adults in the region.”
The campaign is part of the government’s efforts to improve the UK’s skills in maths via its Multiply programme, part of the Skills for Life initiative. The Behaviours Agency worked alongside Notorious Communications for the media planning and buying.
