Bridgestone

Challenge

When you think of global leaders in innovation and technology, you may not immediately think of a tire manufacturer like Bridgestone Americas. However, that’s exactly what Bridgestone was aiming to become – and to get there, they needed a strong internal communication program that would engage employees – both in the office and at the plant level – in this journey.

Insight

Bridgestone partnered with Padilla to revamp its entire internal communication program. The company faced many challenges, including a diverse workforce and work environments; a lack of structured communication tools and process; and limited manpower to create and activate communication.

Idea

Padilla developed and launched a new program aimed at better engaging employees in driving the company’s focus on innovation and its brand pillars.

Solution

Initiatives included:

• Launching executive-led communication (e.g., CEO-led Town Hall meetings, a CEO blog, executive road shows, etc.)
• Structuring and formalizing communication channels, processes and tools
• Creating and launching an employee recognition program aligned with the company’s focus areas
• Launching a new, companywide intranet platform
• Enhancing employee content to be more engaging and newsworthy
• Establishing analytics to track employee engagement across all communication channels

Results

Email open rates increased from 21 percent in 2015 to 41 percent in 2016. From January 2016 to June 2016, the intranet received nearly 1.2 million site visits and 2.25 million page views, with an average site visit time of five minutes. With Padilla’s help, Bridgestone now has a strong internal communication program that keeps employees consistently engaged and showcases how the company’s vision is being brought to life every day.