CorpComms Magazine

From the moment that its entry arrived in a yellow plastic lunch box, rather than the suggested box file, Unilever attracted the judges' attention. And it did not stop there. The box contained a red plastic mug, storybooks about hygiene, flashing stickers for mobile phones, a USB flash drive in the shape of a spoon, while the entry was handwritten in a school exercise jotter. Creativity and originality poured out of the box, and one by one the judges stopped what they were doing to examine Unilever's entry. It was the topic of conversation during coffee breaks.

The manufacturer, whose brands include PG Tips, Slimfast, Dove, Vaseline and Domestos, entered the employee communications programme 'Together for Child Vitality' that supported its three-year partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

A child dies every six seconds from hunger and related diseases, and the programme aims to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and achieve universal primary education. Unilever felt that the United Nations ambitions resonated with its corporate responsibility programme.

'There is a genuine belief within Unilever that companies like ours will not succeed unless we become better corporate citizens. We believe that every child deserves the right to health and hygiene,' explains Michelle Reiber, global communications officer at Unilever. 'But we had to put our employees in the shoes of school children [assisted by the programme] to make them aware of what they have to deal with on a daily basis.'

The cup and lunchbox were designed to raise awareness of the partnership, and, on 16 October 2008 - World Food Day - the meal on offer at Unilever's staff canteens in 21 countries comprised a bowl of rice, lentils and shredded vegetables. It was the same meal provided to school children in developing countries under the UN programme, and all proceeds were donated to the World Food Programme.

'It was an attempt to help our employees understand what our money goes toward and how little school children get,' adds Reiber. 'We wanted our employees to say All I need to is to donate 20p and a school child can get fed. Different elements came from different parts of the business. Our brand division came up with the idea of the 'spoon', while the cup and lunch box was an attempt to link it directly back to school meals.'

Imagination abounded

Although Unilever's communications team provided an 'ideas sheet' with suggestions for each country office to get involved in World Food Day, they also welcomed originality. In El Salvador, for example, staff opted for a 'breakfast for two' scheme, where the employee ate one breakfast and donated the cost of the second to the programme, while Unilever Foodsolutions in the Netherlands held a National Soup Day, donating soup to 2,500 customers, such as cafes and hospitals, who 'sold' it for a voluntary donation. In Kenya, Unilever funded a local school's chickens to provide an egg a week for each child to supplement their diet. 'We are always amazed at the creativity of our staff,' says Reiber.

Last year, Unilever provided nearly 17 million school meals to 80,000 children across Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. 'All the money raised goes directly towards providing school meals. We know where the money is spent and how it is being used,' says Reiber. 'It is not just school meals. We have also developed and implemented nutrition and hygiene programmes in Kenya, Indonesia and Colombia.'

For a budget of less than £50,000, Unilever engaged with its 163,000 employees worldwide on a programme that has made a real difference. But it was not just about one day. Employees volunteered for secondments to the WFP, sharing their experiences with colleagues via presentations, videos and photos on a dedicated Facebook site, which has almost 1,300 fans. An electronic quarterly newsletter contains stories about children benefitting from the partnership, and an internal news service provides regular updates. Unilever has also encouraged employees to 'Walk the World', an annual global event to raise awareness of child hunger.

Employee communications with an external impact

Liam Kelly, head of evaluation, Cision UK

There is a school of thought that states that internal communications is vital to defining a company's external image. After all, staff members are any company's most vocal ambassadors. Then there is the alternative: external relations is the only thing that matters - media, consumers and shareholders make the difference. So many stakeholders, so little time! Unilever proved that, armed with the facts and a little encouragement, employees can make a real difference.

Unilever's partnership with the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) had very specific goals. Rather than preaching, Unilever's employee communications team asked staff to share the experience of eating the same meal as school children in developing nations, with all proceeds going to the WFP. Meanwhile, employees were sent to work with the WFP. The use of Facebook to report on Unilever's internal work helped to boost visibility of the programme outside of the company itself. This was helped further by direct product marketing.

Unilever's approach shows that combining internal and external communications can create a positive impression. Constant re-enforcement of the programme's purpose from all levels of the organisation, and inventive ways of allowing staff to be involved, helped the company to contribute more than €3.2 million (a large percentage from staff activities).

The programme also created staff who were vocal about the difference Unilever was making to the world. When employees walk the walk, or in this case Walk the World, consumers are bound to follow.

Five reasons for winning

• Creativity
• Originality
• Cost effectivenesss
• Use of social media
• Employee involvement

Cision UK

0870 736 0010

www.cision.com

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