In the spring of 2017, ProRail introduces a new external campaign: ProRail Verbindt. Verbetert. Verduurzaamt. (ProRail Connects. Improves. Conserves.) This new promise represents the public face of new internal values and a new ambition. ProRail connects not only organisations and cities, but also people, partners and mobility providers. In other words, it offers sustainable mobility for the whole of the Netherlands.
But to truly deliver sustainable mobility country-wide, ProRail must change internally. The promise will only become credible if the company’s employees live up to it. They need to know, embrace and contribute to the new positioning, and implement it in their daily work.
The external campaign around the new ProRail promise is called Anti/Pro – for and against – and was developed by Ogilvy Amsterdam. Based on this, ProRail asks PROOF to develop an internal change communication and activation concept that compliments this external campaign. Sometimes the solution is simple: implement the external campaign internally.
Don’t just sit and wait
ProRail CEO Pier Eringa kicks off the campaign. Writing in the company’s internal magazine, he explains the change and what he expects of emplpoyees. In essence, this boils down to, “Don’t just sit and wait, but take the lead in your personal development”. A number of employees also share their thoughts on what ProRail is for and against. Because many people, even internally, don’t always have a clear idea of what ProRail does, it’s important to share what the company stands for, and what it is against.
Pioneers wanted
The external brand promise and campaign not only provide the basis for the internal campaign, but also for a related employer branding drive. This is created by taking the external campaign and tweaking it for internal employer branding use. The idea behind this is that once employees understand the new employer brand themselves, they will be able to share those same promises and requirements with potential recruits in their own networks. To support this, ProRail launches an employee referral programme called baanbrekers gezocht (pioneers wanted). PROOF develops the introductory campaign for this referral programme.
