Boots Group has increased staff interest in its voluntary benefits scheme after rebranding its benefits package and introducing a cartoon character as an ambassador.
The main purpose of its new communications strategy, which began in May, is to raise employee awareness of the package, in particular the voluntary benefits scheme. Gary Thomas, reward manager, said: "We had a fairly corporate look to our benefits so we've introduced a friendlier tone and introduced a character that appears on anything related to benefits."
Postcards are being used as the primary media for the campaign. All members of staff are sent a monthly postcard, each featuring a different perk. "It was mainly as our store people are so busy they don't have time to sit and study things. So we kept it short and sweet," said Thomas.
He added that the approach enabled staff to see at a glance which benefits were of interest. Since the campaign began, the company's benefits providers have reported an increased number of calls from employees. A competition is being run to name the character.