‘Why are Alive With Ideas so passionate about internal communications?’
The short answer is that there are fantastic opportunities to have fun, be creative and build on the work we’ve done before. As we get asked this question a lot, let us take some time to explain why in a little more detail.
Before Alive was formed, as two fresh young whippersnappers we were working in a few different creative agencies on a broad range of projects, above and below the line, digital, environments, events, packaging – you name it. During this time internal comms projects were becoming an ever-increasing presence in our work lives. Projects for big brands/businesses like Molson Coors, Brit Insurance, Lilly, Pfizer, GSK, Nominet, Kimberley Clark, British American Tobacco and Caffe Nero fed our desire to build our own agency. As friends and colleagues, we found ourselves compelled to use what knowledge we had accrued, our enjoyment of the internal comms industry specifically and in a way we could put a personal creative spin on things. We set sail on their own voyage knowing we were responsible for our own journey. Alive, a unique ideas agency with internal comms at its beating heart, was launched in 2009. Using and building on the skills and techniques developed over those years, the passion for what Alive does has continued to strengthen and expand our knowledge, experience and love of this industry. To this very day!
‘THE ABSOLUTE HIGHLIGHT OF WORKING IN INTERNAL COMMS IS THE PEOPLE’
So back to why IC? Internal Communications is the key to keeping a company’s most valuable asset engaged and committed to driving a successful business – the employees that make up every organisation. That means that we’re focusing on a moving target, a living, breathing entity. Through internal comms, we’re doing our bit to shape the most important element of any business and creating those warm, satisfying feelings of a job worth doing. In our experience, we’ve found that those who live and breathe internal comms are much more grounded, easy going people yet seem to exude a naturally creative quality. The IC professionals that we’ve met are bursting with personality, which makes them people you can really get along with and enjoy working alongside (and enjoy the occasional drink with, of course). We continue to be delighted to be involved in a community that’s jam-packed full of such characters both online and in the flesh! We also relish the fact that IC professionals are adaptable and open to suggestions that push boundaries, embracing the ideas of others. We love that!
‘INTERNAL COMMS PEOPLE LOVE US TO GET CREATIVE’
Another highlight of IC that gets us hopping from our beds in the mornings is the diverse range of work and the variety of projects we’ve had the privilege to be involved in. There are fantastic opportunities to have fun, be creative and build on the work we’ve done before, setting exciting new parameters and delivering highly original ideas. In IC you can experience a direct result of what you’ve achieved that’s often hard to accomplish with external campaigns. You get to observe the difference that effective communication makes within an organisation, and that’s a pretty special perspective. Seeing the results of the work you’re doing is a genuinely refreshing reward. This is all topped off by being able to experience the environment in which the comms, campaign or activity will be delivered.
‘CONNECTING IT ALL TOGETHER, INTEGRATING INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS WITH EXTERNAL CAMPAIGNS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY GET CREATIVE, LINKING UP SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT AREAS’.
The role of any internal comms department is a challenging and constantly changing one and we respect the difference that is made by each and every individual involved. Achieving buy-in from other departments, stakeholders, senior leaders and making internal comms a top priority is no mean feat. Connecting it all together, integrating internal communication with external campaigns is a great opportunity to really get creative, linking up skills and techniques in a number of different areas. It’s incredibly rewarding when this happens and we always enjoy being part of that journey.
We could seek out calmer waters but that’s not our style at Alive. We like to watch our clients make headway in a prevailing wind. So, that’s why internal comms still floats our boat!
