Principles Agency, which has delivered integrated marketing campaigns for brands for more than 35 years, has been appointed by the NHS to coordinate a campaign to combat abuse inflicted on primary healthcare providers which was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ‘Be Kind’ campaign, which will run for an initial three months, will see Principles combine extensive research, strategy, concept development and paid media, to challenge deep-rooted behaviours affecting NHS staff.

Karen Coleman, associate director for communication & engagement at West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership commented: “Principles’ proposal for the ‘Be Kind’ campaign was incredibly strong with a good balance of research and campaign development and activation. Principles was selected to support the NHS for this vital campaign based on its ability to work with sensitive subject manners, extract evidence based on insight, and translate these elements into an effective campaign creative.”

The Agency has also secured a contract with Kingfisher Direct to lead on a business rebrand and strategy reset. Principles has been appointed to lead on strategy and insight to understand Kingfisher Direct’s target audiences, interpret brand positioning and articulate the visual identity of the brand, in order to transform the business into an organisation that engages on a more emotional and personal level with customers.

Client services director at Principles agency, Liz Bryne, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working alongside the NHS on such an important campaign. The project draws on our core strengths of developing big creative ideas built on solid insight, and executing them to the highest standards with the right message, in the right place at the right time. The ‘Be Kind’ campaign is crucial to supporting healthcare staff who have worked so hard during the last two years and we can’t wait to see the impact of the campaign.”