M+C Saatchi extends National Grid local campaign

The campaign aims to demonstrate how increased electricity capacity supports local economies and everyday life.

M+C Saatchi Group UK has launched the latest phase of National Grid's The Great Grid Upgrade campaign in Lincolnshire, using hyper-local storytelling to help communities understand the role of electricity infrastructure investment in their area.

The activity forms part of the ongoing Get Plugged In creative platform, which was introduced in 2025 to explain the impact of grid upgrades through familiar local places, businesses and services rather than focusing solely on infrastructure.

Lincolnshire campaign focuses on local landmarks

The latest work centres on Skegness Pleasure Beach, highlighting how attractions, lighting and rides depend on a reliable electricity network. The campaign aims to demonstrate how increased electricity capacity supports local economies and everyday life.

The initiative is part of National Grid's wider effort to build public understanding of the need for additional electricity infrastructure as demand continues to grow.

Hyper-local storytelling drives engagement

The campaign combines advertising activity with community consultation programmes, helping residents understand how proposed projects could affect their area and what benefits they may deliver.

Previous executions have been developed for communities in Northwest Wales, Cumbria, Derbyshire and East Anglia. Each campaign uses local stories and recognisable locations to connect national infrastructure plans with regional priorities.

Familiar stories support complex conversations

Across all regions, the creative strategy has focused on making a large-scale infrastructure programme feel relevant to local audiences. The campaign films, directed by pip + lib through Agile Films, follow businesses and organisations whose operations rely on access to electricity, while gradually revealing the role of the grid in supporting their activities.

Media activity spans broadcaster video-on-demand, press, social media, display advertising and radio, with planning and buying handled by AMS Media. Campaign placements are targeted exclusively at communities directly affected by the proposed infrastructure projects.

National Grid highlights local impact

Phil Edmonds, Strategic Campaigns Lead, National Grid: "Delivering The Great Grid Upgrade means working closely with the communities most directly affected by new infrastructure. The campaign helps explain why this work is needed and what it enables locally, using the 'Get Plugged In' creative platform to spotlight familiar local organisations and services and show how investment in the grid supports the things people rely on every day."

Marcus Peffers, Executive Chair, M+C Saatchi Group UK: "This campaign is a clear example of Cultural Power in action. When you're asking communities to engage with complex national infrastructure projects, facts alone aren't enough. You have to start with the things people care about locally and tell the story in a way that feels familiar and relevant. Get Plugged In connects a national challenge to everyday life, helping people understand why these upgrades matter and what they enable in their own communities."

Creative approach puts communities first

Tom Lander, Senior Creative, M+C Saatchi Group UK, and Billie Gurr, Senior Creative, M+C Saatchi Group UK: "When you're telling the story of something on The Great Grid Upgrade's scale, it's tempting to start with the infrastructure itself. We deliberately did the opposite. We started with people, places and businesses that already mean something to local communities. Taking a family day out in Skegness, these stories help make a complex national conversation feel tangible, relatable and relevant to everyday life. And look beautiful while doing it."

www.nationalgrid.com

www.mcsaatchi.com

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