Yesterday I was working with a team at a great communications agency (theblueballroom) that focusses on internal communications for great companies like Mars, adidas, e-on and DHL. This is a really interesting and challenging area not least because many of the issues are tough to communicate and like many other disciplines the team has to keep reinventing the same topics for different clients. The client may be very risk averse and there is a magnetic pull back to what’s worked before. So a great creative challenge! As part of my research I looked at some of the internal communications best practices in relation to creativity and found some great examples which I thought I’d share. Creativity is often viewed through the lens of consumers and sales but these examples show how it can help deliver against hard business metrics for internal stakeholders too.
Reinventing recruitment – this Heineken campaign – The Candidate – is simple but effective. It spoofs The Apprentice and takes an everyday HR event and turns it into an award-winning campaign, engaging employees as well as those outside the company. Walks a fine line between entertainment and exploiting the candidates but I’m sure they all signed a waiver!
This campaign – Ashes – by Campofrio won a Cannes Lions in 2015 for internal communications for the response following a factory fire. It shows creativity and sensitivity in handling a difficult matter which could have been death with as purely crisis but was crafted into a lovely message and campaign. Designed to tug at the heart strings but done in a sensitive way.
Advertising agency Publicis Groupe’s 2015 Christmas Campaign: The Very Good Wishes is a fun way to engage staff in the company’s CSR activity at Xmas, beyond the standard Christmas card.
It’s great to explore creativity in some of the less obvious disciplines outside of consumer PR and explore what internal communications best practices look like in this area. If you’re interested in what the team at theblueballroom thought about the session, here’s what PR Account Director Christina Relf thought about the Creative Ninjas workshop.
“Claire’s experience, knowledge and enthusiasm shine through – she comes across as ‘one of us’… she’s been there and done it, so she really understands our challenges. This is going to make a real difference to the ways in which I approach creativity, generating ideas and developing them. My personal objectives were exceeded 10/10!”
I really enjoyed working with the team at theblueballroom and it’s great as a trainer to see how creativity tools translate whatever the challenge or the discipline. If you’re interested in upping the ante on creativity for your team please get in touch with Lucy@nowgocreate.co.uk.