LOCAL

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP/Head of Communications at Exos. For over 20 years, Exos has empowered corporate employees, elite athletes, and many other performers operating in some of the toughest environments, Exos’ world-class team of coaches and practitioners personalize an integrated approach across the pillars of mindset, nutrition, movement, and recovery to empower anyone to perform at their highest level.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LOCAL?

Partner with the Exos internal communications team to create an internal launch strategy for the new EXOS brand to be executed by the internal EXOS marketing team.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Local had the IT factor we were looking for and the experience leading similar programs for decentralized organizations.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Local's insight process utilized proven research methods and a collaborative strategic process to deliver actionable insight and audience segmentation. They delivered insights and employee research including an employee survey, video interviews, insight analysis and readout as well as key messaging and a final communications roadmap for us to follow.

What was the team composition?

Our internal communications team worked directly with their core team of account managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We learned the preferred communications channels for our employees as well as gleaned an understanding of what forms of communications most resonate with our internal audiences.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow and communication with LOCAL was their best asset! We were so impressed with their weekly meetings, supportive communication through SLACK and how committed to deadlines their team was in order to deliver against our tight project timelines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

LOCAL's commitment to learning about our business and our needs was unmatched. They jumped in right away and became an extension of the Exos team. In addition, their communication and creative storytelling was so refreshing; we genuinely enjoyed working with the LOCAL team.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

We probably could have benefitted from more time spent on the implementation of the programming but given tight budgets and timelines on our end, that was not an option on this project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My role is to create new solutions for our organization's toughest challenges . Our department was recently created, bringing together functions with expertise in problem solving such as continuous improvement, data science and innovation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LOCAL?

As a new department in a large organization, we wanted to ensure we could articulate a unique value proposition to our internal business partners and they were clear how together, we could help them achieve new outcomes. We hired Local based on their expertise with internal communications and framing change in a positive way.

What were your goals for this project?

The objective was to develop an aligned positioning for our department that explained why we exist and how we deliver effective work for our people and business. Specific results we were looking for included:

• Create a customer metaphor for the department
• Decide on core values for each unit within the department
• Define core positioning statement and audience
• Identify a new name for the team
• Develop key strategies for turning stakeholders into advocates

SOLUTION

How did you select LOCAL?

Local was referred to us by an established consulting firm we work with. We set up time to meet and they shared case studies of previous client work. We selected them based on the strong fit between our respective company cultures as well as their expertise in change marketing.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After determining our objectives and goals, we determined that a one day workshop would meet our needs. Local hosted a handful of interviews to prepare for the workshop.

We had 6 participants in the workshop and worked through 5 exercises together. Activities were designed to focus the group on who we are, why we exist, what we stand for and how to name ourselves.

What was the team composition?

The team was comprised of leaders over each function within our department.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our team has gone from a collection of individual functions with separate intake methods to a unified department. We now focus on the problem to be solved versus leading with our respective solutions. This allows us to staff projects in a multi-disciplinary way to bring the best of the best to the table.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We established milestones, deliverables and check-ins to manage this effort and it was a breeze. We had a project lead that was very responsive and easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was very impressed that Local was able to synthesize a lot of diverse inputs and find common ground so quickly. They have an ability to break complex concepts and language down into simple, understandable and relatable words.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Initially when we started talking with Local, we were looking at a multi-month engagement. At that time, we weren't in a position from a budgetary perspective to commit. We provided them that feedback and they came back with a more modular approach to working that gave us the flexibility to try an engagement with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the EVP, Managing Director and lead a transformation office within Dentsu to support large scale change within our internal business operations

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LOCAL?

We worked with Local Industries to implement a people based approach to change. Technology and software can be built, but often implementations fail due to the lack of understanding and proactive management of the staff impacted by the change. Our organization was usually compliance driven in it's approach to change and we engaged Local Industries to help define a communications strategy that would place our staff at the heart of our transition.

What were your goals for this project?

Our ultimate goal was to transition 2500+ staff in our media business from the existing and legacy media management/ERP system to a new and innovative cloud based SAAS solution. The majority of staff in our organization and the industry are familiar with the incumbent solution, with many roles and people's status based on their ability to get things done and solve problems using this legacy technology. The new solution and it's Open API architecture would dramatically open up future possibilities for our organization and so imperative that we have our staff on board with the change.

SOLUTION

How did you select LOCAL?

I had worked with Neil Bedwell (Founder) previously and was very much looking forward to working with him again.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We worked with the Local Industries team to build out the scope of work due to the unique nature of the program as it impacted not only our internal staff, it also impacted all our 150+ clients and 1200+ suppliers. At a topline view the scope of work included: - Change readiness assessment: Qual/Quant work to really get a good understanding of how ready our organization and it's people were for this proposed change. - Persona development: Based on the research build out a key audience model using personas to identify the key drivers of each of our 9 audiences across the business. - Communications strategy: Based on the goals of the program and these 9 personas create a communications strategy that could be cascaded through the organization to create a "movement for change" within our organization, effectively using advocacy to support the process of change within the organiztion - Communication execution: Ongoing support on key communications and assets that we could execute against, working with our creative and production teams to build out what was effectively an internal advertising program to create awareness of the transition, get people on board with the reasons for the change, and actively support and advocate for the change. - Ongoing measurement and analysis: Monthly qual/quant surveys of our different key groups and staff helped identify where our communications program was working, where it was not and areas that we could adjust accordingly to resolve the issues being highlighted by our staff.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with the leadership & strategy teams during the initial commencement of our engagement as the majority of the initial scope of work was geared towards strategy. As we progressed more work and engagement was lead by their account and project management teams with ongoing input and support from Neil, Andrew & Nick.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Since beginning our project and engagement with Local Industries we have been commented on how well organized and communicative this program is in comparison to everyone's experience of internal change initiatives within Dentsu. This is reflected in the extremely high understanding from our teams as to why we are making the change: - Almost 70% agreeing that the switch would positively impact their day to day work - Over 65% advised that they felt equipped to support the transition over and above their day jobs We are just finalizing our transition to go live, and feel very comfortable that our teams are ready & willing to make the switch.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great. The team meet with us weekly on progress and present great work. We've also had to do the majority of this work while WFH during a global pandemic. We have a huge amount of appreciation for the team at Local Industries and their support of us and our program.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Outcome orientation. Our goal is to transition our staff to a new technology platform. That only happens if they want to. Local Industries totally get the psychology of change and transition, and how best to support people through the process of change. Their guidance and support have been immensely important to our success as a team within Dentsu.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have a lot of project management experience on our team. Ensuring their teams are equivalently trained and use of project delivery methodologies would greatly enhance their overall program.