CASE STUDIES.
LINNAEUS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS.
Setting the Scene Linnaeus hit the ground running in 2019 after a period of transformation when they were bought out by Mars Petcare. Having previously worked with Top Banana on their ‘Excel Together’ conference – an event to unite their 40 practices after the acquisition, the company looked to us again to help with a first for them – a rewards and recognition ceremony at the end of 2019. The event proved a huge success, and with all good intentions, Linnaeus looked to 2020 to host a second. Little did they know, 2020 would consist of huge amounts of change and adaptation - but that was not going to stop them from celebrating the achievements of their associates, especially after the dedication so many had shown throughout the pandemic. Entertaining the Masses The entire event was recorded remotely and in advance of the event, with footage seamlessly edited together into a 2-hour sequence to give the impression of a live broadcast. The broadcast was itself was via. Top Banana’s Event Arena Live platform, with this event being the first to use the newly introduced remote control feature, allowing attendees to interact and engage from their mobile device whilst watching on their computer or smart TV with the ability to comment, share emoji reactions and give live feedback. With 6 awards to hand out and over 500 attendees to entertain it was important to create a balance that engaged the whole audience. A countdown timer indicated how long until the awards began and to put everyone in the mood to celebrate, the evening started with a 30-minute DJ set curated from attendees' submissions upon registration. A further 10-minute set acted as a mid-event interlude along with a closing set to round off the party at the end of the night in true ‘kitchen disco’ style. As a special touch, 2020 Britain’s Got Talent winner, Jon Courtenay was commissioned to write and perform a bespoke song themed around Linnaeus which was met with a great reaction from the audience. Another unique touch to bring the content to life was when we revealed the overall winner in the final event category using a speed painter, who was recorded and edited in such a way that it was not possible to tell who the painting was of until the end of the sequence. Not only did the artwork game keep delegates on their toes throughout the evening, but this awesome one-off piece of artwork was also then given to the winner to hang in their home as a special momentum.
“Top Banana worked so hard to bring this event to life, with a large number of delegates to keep entertained it was no easy task, but clever ideas to engage our workforce meant everyone felt energised and in the mood to celebrate, despite not being together. The pre-recorded content could have fooled any of us for being a live stream and the way it was edited, coupled with the remote control for live interaction made it feel like we were watching a TV show style awards ceremony – we can’t wait for 2021’s event!’"
AVON NATIONAL SALES MEETING.
Setting the Scene
Year on year Avon gathers sales leaders, business development managers and the head office team for their national sales meeting. 2020 had other plans for the live event that normally engages the business, so this year top banana took the event online.
However, a world of opportunities opened up and gave AVON the opportunity to, for the first time, invite all remote AVON representatives, expanding the audience and potential to the biggest it’s ever been…
Bringing their story to life
The name and #WATCHMENOW hashtag lead the event, with delegates focussing on sharing, social-ing and celebrating AVON’s brand, latest product range and star employees/sellers. The days consisted of product launches, live interviews, giveaways and sharing success and top tips from the last year – all rounded up by a virtual celebration. The highlight for most? Lisa Armstrong launching her exclusive AVON collection. Lisa came into the Top Banana studio to reveal that her new collection was exclusively being sold by AVON, as well as a socially distanced makeup a demo on a live model and special representative access to a 1 day only product offers gave her launch an awesome head start.
The Results...
98% increase in digital sales after the opening day
31 Thousand emoji reactions over a 5-minute period (during the Christmas pyjama launch)
71 Million Social impressions over the 3 day event
PREMIER INN & RESTAURANTS CELEBRATION.
Setting the scene
Having previously worked with Premier Inn and Restaurants on business events, in 2019 Top Banana pitched and won their biggest celebratory event of the year. The event followed the coming together of Premier Inn and Restaurants (PI&R) with an aim to celebrate becoming one business, the fantastic team and showcase what makes P&IR special. Though traditionally an evening event, the brand wanted to introduce a content element focused on its internal CSR programme, Force for Good. It was vital that the event focussed on the programmes three pillars – Opportunity, Community and Responsibility, so, we built the event with sustainability and inclusivity in mind - for the 5000 strong delegates that would be attending for the day.
Content
Although an important business message was being delivered, the mood of the event needed to be celebratory and fun. We created an inspiring programme of content, including motivational stories shared by people from across the business on how PI&R makes a positive impact in its local communities and a performance from a Down Syndrome Choir. Awards for categories including Amazing Apprentice and Hotel of the Year were handed out throughout the afternoon by no other than Rylan Clark Neal, which was followed by an incredible evening of entertainment featuring food stalls, full fairground rides and entertainment acts including Pixie Lott, Craig David and Pete Tong.
Sustainability
To make the event inclusive for all, we gender-neutralised everything, which meant changing the registration process, paying close attention to all communications especially the script, and building gender-neutral toilet facilities. We looked at responsible sourcing at a detailed level, ensuring everything from the cotton in the hotel beds to every ingredient on the menu was sourced in a sustainable way. Where possible, carbon impact was reduced, for example by reducing the number of vehicles on-site, and we brought in our own team to handle waste and make sure everything was recycled and disposed of in the correct way.
The Results... The core message resonated with the audience, with over 90% saying they could identify with the messaging and felt empowered to be a “Force For Good”. As well as this, the MD of the business stated that this was the best event they had ever hosted – and we even won 2020 C&IT Celebratory Event of the Year for our efforts on the project.
DFS #GREATTOGETHER
The Brief DFS faced a huge challenge in 2018 as they completed a merger with a former competitor and needed to bring all of their people together to deliver a major group-wide transformation. As communication was key, they called on top-b to generate a shift in mind-set and achieve a family mentality. How did we help? Top Banana created a new ‘people brand’ #GreatTogether which encouraged working together and starting conversations through a new set of group-wide values, which inspired specific and relevant behaviours in different business units. We consistently bought the new brand to life in creative ways, by re-branding everything from the HR and Payroll system to the DFS HQ into the #GreatTogether message, so the values would naturally become a part of everyday life. The Results Thanks to the effectiveness of the campaign and the commitment of the leadership team, the values are now common language across the group and are driving the desired behaviours. They’re present throughout the colleague journey in induction, training and performance management.
EXPERIAN #MAKEITREAL
The Brief As well as their ambition to grow their business by double, Experian wanted to show that data can do more than pull out facts and figures; it helps change people lives. Through a targeted campaign, Top Banana were asked to drive real emotional engagement– showcasing the power of Experian and helping employees understand the impact their work has on people’s lives. How did we help? Top Banana created a strategic campaign that targeted the data gurus of the company that may have been disengaged with the human/ customer side of Experian. Through an immersive AR experience, employees were given a sense of purpose as they were shown real life stories of people whose lives changed socially, economically, and personally, because of the data Experian uses – letting staff know that what they do helps empower people and make their dreams a reality. The Results Through a roadshow, intranet platform and internal strategic communications campaign that centred around the company’s existing core values – Top Banana helped Experian gain 3500 employee ambassadors who could be representatives for the business, understanding the power of data, the power of Experian and how what they do changes lives for the better.
