Corporate Communications
How do you drive employee enthusiasm for a complex workstream overhaul?
Make it entertaining.
When Capital One Investing blew up its org chart to target several distinct audiences, one daring VP asked me to help announce the endeavor with both a clenched fist and a knowing wink. He wanted a spy theme. He wanted spectacle. He wanted to ask a lot of employees without freaking them out. I pitched the Investor Missions Force. He, and company staff, accepted.
When Capital One Investing reorganized its entire team structure to focus on four target audiences, one daring Vice President wanted to announce the sweeping change in a fun-slash-serious way. I pitched a fitting concept, and wrote short scripts and supporting emails, to help him deliver. One of four emails sent by the VP (written by me) to specific teams who would be devoted to serving a certain target customer. Each email included its own embedded video.
A holistic look at the collateral I wrote for this effort, including a printed desktop flipbook. We assembled relevant pieces for each team member in a notebook to give everyone a resource for their new responsibilities.
And if we’re having a good time, why send dry employee introduction emails? I suggested a series of Between Two Ferns-ish profiles on new team members, then wrote multiple. Employees loved them—even those in HR. Thinking the company could help improve morale by doing more with its employee introduction emails, I suggested writing entertaining magazine-style profiles that could be emailed as PDFs. Leadership loved the idea and I ran with it. Equal parts enlightening and silly, the profiles were a hit with interviewees and readers.
