Vodafone.
On 1 January 1985, Vodafone made the UK’s first mobile phone call. Now the organisation is the world’s leading international mobile telecommunications group with equity interests in 27 countries across five continents, 186.8 million proportionate customers and 33 partner networks. We have been their successful internal communications partner since 1997 and have designed and delivered numerous campaigns in order to engage their 11,000 employees.
Now we are all ‘In the Know’.
92% participant recommendation. 75% said they had learned something from the sessions and that they had had their role as ambassadors for Vodafone stimulated by the event.
Audience.
Don’t you hate it when someone asks you about your place of work and you’re not really sure how to respond? In 2006 Vodafone refreshed its brand. A year later the company sought to understand the barriers and drivers to brand advocacy on the part of its employees.
Challenge.
If employees were to play a part in being advocates for the brand, Vodafone needed to explore their strengths and weaknesses when it came to understanding the brand. A memorable event was required in which employees could learn more about the organisation and give feedback on what turned them on and off about the brand.
Insight.
Can you really sell a product well if you don’t use it? Nobody likes to look stupid. Nobody likes their knowledge to be exposed as out of date. So, careful facilitation that focuses on how we build our personal banks of knowledge, and sharing the value of the individual‘s knowledge, is the order of the day with events like this.
Result.
We devised ‘In the Know’: a travelling workshop experience in which five exercises are used to explore employee thoughts and beliefs about the business. Overall, our objective was to create a safe environment where these debates could be had: an event which people walked away from with genuine insights.
I’m running a 10k for the Autistic Society and our department did a Sports Day. It was great fun.
Over half of employees thought this partnership would help challenge and improve current perceptions of the Vodafone brand.
Audience.
You work in one of Vodafone’s customer service centres, helping customers to get the best phone packages. You like to think you’re good at what you do, but maybe you’d enjoy your job more if you could understand more about your customers and the problems they face in their everyday lives.
Challenge.
Vodafone UK partnered with The National Autistic Society (NAS) to get more people talking about autism. The three-year partnership aimed to raise £6 million for the charity and recruit 15,000 regular donors. The challenge was to interpret this sensitive subject for an audience that wasn’t already clued up about the condition.
Insight.
Our aim was to develop campaign materials that would enable Vodafone employees to imagine how autism affects real life, in ways they couldn’t imagine. We chose applications that are office-based including desktop materials, meeting areas and collateral. The messages are supported with storytelling ideas that people can relate to.
Result.
Since the launch of the partnership, 60% of Vodafone UK employees recognised the communication link between Vodafone and NAS. 75% of employees understood it was a mutually beneficial partnership. 73% knew that it was a partnership in which they could get involved in and support.