SAFETEA: The taste of workplace safety
SAFE AT WORK

What do “braids”, “croissants” and “burned toast” have to do with a promotional item? They were ideas in the search for the perfect flavour for the target group of young bakers and confectioners – although not for a new bakery product, but rather for an iced tea designed to draw their attention to the issue of workplace safety. Because apprentices and young employees in particular are especially prone to accidents at work. At the same time, Gen Z is difficult to reach through factual prevention communication – in forms such as brochures, posters and formal appeals.

Combining safety with the Gen Z lifestyle

In the end, the SAFETEA idea developed was given a “Black Forest gateau” flavour, eye-catching branding with a warning tape style, and a campaign geared consistently towards the target group’s lifestyle. SAFE AT WORK, together with its partner agency Ogilvy Switzerland, tapped into a current lifestyle trend. “We wanted to speak to young people on an equal footing and with a touch of tongue-in-cheek humour. Iced tea creations by musicians and content creators were very much a thing for Gen Z at the time. With SAFETEA, we were able to tie this trend to the issue of workplace safety at the right moment,” explains Bruce Roberts, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Switzerland.

3-D mailing takes workplace safety to bakeries

At the heart of the awareness-raising campaign was a physical promotional item: SAFE AT WORK sent the branded SAFETEA cans by post as addressed 3-D mailings directly to trainees and safety officers at bakeries and confectioners throughout Switzerland. An enclosed flyer with a QR code led to a landing page featuring twelve tips on workplace safety – presented as snackable GIFs. A prize draw offered the chance to win additional iced tea tins for the entire company. At the same time, SAFETEA cans were distributed outside vocational schools during sampling campaigns.

From social media to gaming

Six Swiss gaming and food influencers tested SAFETEA on TikTok and Instagram, fostering dialogue and interaction with the community. In a cooking video, SAFE AT WORK had its lively mascot Dave imitate the well-known food blogger Nara Smith. In addition, the iced tea was integrated as a virtual in-game collectible into Fortnite – one of the most popular games among the target group. At the same time, the Ogilvy team developed “Safety Quest” for SAFE AT WORK – four of their own levels for Fortnite relating to workplace safety, where players had to complete tasks – and find ten hidden SAFETEA cans. Turning prevention into a fun experience.

With the SAFETEA campaign, SAFE AT WORK succeeded in establishing the issue of workplace safety among Gen Z in a way that was surprising, positive and trending. “We knew the campaign was working when trainees wrote to us asking for more,” says Bruce Roberts. The campaign also won the SDV Gold Award in the “3-D mailing” category. But for Sandrine Spina from the Intercantonal Association for Employee Protection, one thing counts above all: “Gen Z not only had SAFETEA in their bellies, but now also safety on their minds.”

SAFE AT WORK

SAFE AT WORK is the cantons’ prevention brand for better health and safety at work. It is affiliated with the Intercantonal Association for Employee Protection (IVA). SAFE AT WORK uses targeted campaigns to reach out to various sectors, safety officers and – through youth campaigns – apprentices.

Ogilvy Schweiz produced a case film about the campaign (in German)