2022 Winners & Shortlists

ARAMCO LIFE – A BOLD APPROACH TO EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

BrandARAMCO
Product/ServiceARAMCO LIFE
EntrantAKQA Copenhagen, DENMARK
CategoryWebsites / Microsites
Idea Creation AKQA Copenhagen, DENMARK
Idea Creation 2 SAUDI ARAMCO Dhahran, SAUDI ARABIA
Media Placement AKQA Copenhagen, DENMARK
Production AKQA Copenhagen, DENMARK
Post Production AKQA Copenhagen, DENMARK

Background

Aramco came to us back in the end of 2019 with a desire to digitalize their internal communication. A vision to change the way communication was consumed at Aramco and beyond. From static one-way weekly/monthly prints and PDFs, to always-on digital communication with a clear focus on engagement. From top-down to bottom-up. Going from total control over content and usage, to a world of instantaneous reactions and expectations, and opting for a much more open approach towards the world including current and former employees, external stakeholders such as government agencies, industry experts, investors, media and the general public. Consequently, a future proof internal communication platform on par with leading news and social channels of the world was critical to Aramco. With Covid spreading across the globe in the early 2020s, the need for digitalizing internal and external communication just got even more important.

Describe the strategy

As part of the digital transformation programme we created Aramco LIFE. What started as a digital development project is now a fully fledged transformation, turning Aramco LIFE into a 21st century platform for their various publications, but more importantly bringing people together through shared interests, and offering new ways for their diverse workforce (and external stakeholders) to connect and keep up the pace with the latest developments. With Aramco having over 66,000 employees across the globe and in remote locations, they were primarily looking for a solution to keep the employees informed on what’s happening with the company in a timely and engaging way. Aramco Life was developed as a hybrid platform (app, website, emails, notifications etc.). The vision was to create an informational hub, focused on inspiring, motivating and engaging employees by providing relevant and timely topic-based content.

Describe the execution

The content starting point for Aramco LIFE was 10 publications covering topics from technology, lifestyle, environment, and safety. With some of these publications dating back to 1951, that’s a lot of print and a lot of history. With an internal publication like the Arabian Sun, you have a brand that has evolved over a period of 70 years. On top of the existing content and publications from Aramco, Aramco LIFE now also offers Radio with access to Energy Radio KSA as well as Stream including videos and podcasts. It’s a platform with mileage: The latest service to be added to Aramco LIFE is Volunteer, which is a facilitation of the internal volunteering program at Aramco, including sign up, profile, list of events etc. Aramco LIFE was launched internally at Aramco January 30th, 2021.

List the results

So far, approximately 50% of all Aramcons have downloaded the app, and on a montly basis the website has 14.000 unique visitors. It has established itself as the go to platform for all of Aramco’s future communication, both internal and external. Whether it is radio, live events, community or business news, Aramco LIFE provides the single most important platform for employee participation and engagement. Engagement has been the key parameter for how to measure the success, and with a 2,5 minute engagement time on the website, and three minutes average in the app – well, mission accomplished. The app is now getting ready to be rolled out to the public as well.

Credits

Name Company Role
Bo Madsen AKQA Strategy, UX and creative
Links
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