Students from Hartford’s Quirk Middle School took a rather unusual field trip to Bloomfield, where they were actually encouraged to paint graffiti on the walls of a Fortune 500 company.
CIGNA invited Quirk’s after-school graffiti club to be a part of its nationwide employee outreach program, known as TagUrIt.
The campaign encourages employees to express individual ideas and widen the lines of communication within the company. Since the campaign began in December 2008, CIGNA has had great success in shifting the attitudes of their employees to a more service-oriented culture.
CIGNA employees provide the young artists with valuable slogans to live and work by. In turn, the students will be responsible for adding the creative flare through color and design.
“The kids are happy because they are recognized and want to show people what they’re capable of doing,” Kier Kailas, the supervisor of the graffiti team, said.
In addition to the graffiti tagging, a mobile truck fully equipped with a sound system and flat screen TV’s will help to create a site experience like no other. This multimedia truck that represents community and communication has previously traveled to other states including Texas, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.
“This is a different type of media. We are using it to show our campaign isn’t just a corporate memo. It’s your voice and your company, so raise it,” the president of CIGNA Pharmacy and Voluntary Solutions Eric Elliott said.
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Although the paint is washable and the truck will eventually drive away, the fundamental ideas CIGNA proliferates through the campaign certainly are inspirational.
