Funded by a mandatory 2.2% levy paid by registered employers, community service workers would retain their long service leave entitlements as they moved through employment, under the SA Portable Long Service Scheme (SAPLSL).
Amid little public awareness of a scheme that was now law, SAPLSL approached Hughes to help engage eligible employers and inform them of their new obligations to register and pay the levy. 
The campaign needed to reach as many workers and employers as possible to increase awareness and support, while also managing potential opposition and any resistance to change.

Objectives

• Reach more than 500 organisations between July and October to build scheme awareness and educate them on their new obligations.
• Reach workers to spread awareness and inform them of their new entitlements.
• Generate more than 500 business registrations, with at least 30,000 workers registered by 21 January 2026.
• Support employers to complete their first SAPLSL levy payment by 21 January 2026.
• Generate support for the scheme within the industry.

Our Approach 

SAPLSL advised it would need at least 500 employers (of about 30,000 workers) to register for the scheme to be financially viable. This set a clear target for Hughes: drive widespread awareness and ensure quick adoption of the scheme following its launch on 1 October.

We recognised there would be two distinct audiences. Employers who needed to understand their new legal obligations and be encouraged to register, and workers who needed to understand their new entitlements.

As this scheme had already been launched in the construction industry, we drew on lessons from that scheme and the demonstrated benefits to drive a positive narrative for the community services sector. We highlighted the reduction of administration for the employers, alongside better retention of workers.

Our six-month integrated campaign spanned social, digital, media and direct engagement, with content, messaging and activity to suit each audience.

We built brand awareness and introduced the scheme through targeted industry education and explainer videos and fact sheets. We drove engagement and website traffic using video case studies, promotions of webinars and organic social content, before switching the focus to registration after 1 October, and levy submissions from the end of December.

Activity included:

• Building a targeted industry audience of more than 40,000 LinkedIn users in key positions including managers, finance, HR across the community services sector.
• Developing a paid and organic strategy to nurture audiences across the phases of the campaign.
• Creating a brand look for social media brand communication, including a suite of tile templates to support the organic and paid strategy.
• Developing employer and work explainer video content to launch the scheme’s introduction.
• Filming and producing a video case study series to support the growth of positive industry sentiment.
• Engaging with industry with events, conferences, advertising and partner content in sector publications.
• Building a newsletter database, creating a newsletter template, and providing regular updates to employers and workers.
• Supporting and promoting SAPLSL webinars and employer networking events to provide direct education.
• Supporting and promoting SAPLSL regional visits to raise awareness in regional communities.
• Creating campaign collateral, including banner ads, postcards, posters, graphics, social tiles, carousels, two animations, two videos (with consideration of CALD workers)
• Developing industry educational toolkits, and guides to help both workers and employers navigate the scheme.
• Securing media, advertorials and partner content for mainstream media and industry publications.

After 21 January, we moved to a maintenance phase, focussing on organic LinkedIn content. Key messages were amplified as boosted posts to maintain broader industry reach, communicate upcoming levy deadlines, promote claim processing, and reach late-adopters of the scheme.