Case Study: The Award-Winning LESTER Business Core Values Campaign
While CAP3:Proclaim can certainly amplify your message in a crowded marketplace, have you considered the impact we can make and the value we bring to an internal marketing campaign?
What do we mean by internal marketing?
We mean that your company’s business core values and mission are vital—and it’s crucial that employees understand them. You have to go beyond placing words in a framed picture on the wall. When employees are engaged in these values, everyone benefits.
In fact, some studies indicate that high levels of employee engagement result in a 14% boost in productivity combined with 43% less turnover.
You need to truly embrace an internal communication campaign that is unique, compelling and memorable so your employees can be partners in living those values.
We did that exact process for Hedgehog Healthcare Associates (HHA), a company that owns and manages several assisted living and skilled nursing communities. HHA wanted to proclaim their business core values not only to new employees but also to reinforce them to current employees.
Therefore, we’d like to introduce you to our creation: LESTER the Hedgehog.
The LESTER Campaign: A Golden Tusk Award-Winner
This internal marketing campaign was honored with a Golden Tusk Award from the Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (CHPRMS), which is one of the largest affiliated societies in the country. We were selected for the award out of hundreds of marketing agencies in North and South Carolina.
The Golden Tusk is among the most prestigious awards presented by CHPRMS.
Who Is LESTER?
LESTER is more than a cute companion. He’s a messenger. We created a character whose name was an acronym, with each letter serving as a reminder of HHA’s core values.
Those values are:
Loving Care with Respect
Expect Excellence
Service with a Smile
Better Together
Expect Excellence
Do the Right Thing
And no, that’s not a typo—Expect Excellence was such a critical core value that it was listed twice.
LESTER in the Workplace: “Live Like LESTER”
LESTER posters were placed throughout the areas where employees would see them, reinforcing the core values. Throughout the building, there were reminders to “Live Like LESTER.” Employees enthusiastically embraced the business core values campaign program.
LESTER in Onboarding: A Unified Message
During orientation, new employees are introduced to LESTER and the values represented. This ensures that all recent hires are receiving information that is consistent and easy to remember. In addition, it provides a clearer understanding of the heart of HHA—a company that values both employees and patients.
LESTER: Employee Incentives
Whenever an employee was found to be “living like LESTER,” they were rewarded with LESTER swag, such as pins and small plush, stuffed hedgehogs. This positive reinforcement added an extra layer of support for encouraging and embodying the core values.
Do You Need Help Establishing a Business Core Values Campaign? Let Us Take Your Message to New Levels
Internal marketing is about much more than getting your message across with a few well-placed posters: It’s about creating and promoting values to a point where employees genuinely embrace them as a natural extension of themselves.
This inspires ownership, teamwork and excellence.
You deserve more for your core values than mere framed posters. You see, we believe core values should be lived daily—not merely defined and listed.
But employees likely won’t remember them unless they are expressed in a clear, compelling manner.
That’s where CAP3:Proclaim can help.
We have an extensive track record of successful internal marketing core values campaigns that earn genuine employee buy-in. While we recognize that your company’s values are much more than outstanding graphics and memorable logos, we also bring those elements to the table through the efforts of our award-winning designers and creative team.
Ready to turn your company’s core values into something employees truly connect with and live out every day? Contact us and we’ll get started.
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Sources:
Chinn, Alana, “Why Is Internal Marketing Important?” Hubspot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/internal-marketing#why-is-internal-marketing-important