Bell Helicopter forges emotional connection between employees and consumers

Bell Helicopter’s products are used in military activities around the world, in law enforcement, in search and rescue, and in a variety of industrial and transportation endeavors worldwide.

However, brand managers realized that although employees know how the company’s products are used, connecting their work to the experiences of their consumers was a difficult thing. How could an employee checking spreadsheets emotionally connect with a consumer halfway around the world? 
 
The team created a video titled “They Had a Mission,” which focused not on the company’s aircraft, but rather on what various customers did with them. Using a photomontage with narration, the video presents a tribute to various helicopter crews worldwide who work to make the world a better place. The last line of narration helps reinforce the connection between employee and consumer: “At Bell Helicopter, their mission will always be our mission.” 

In this manner, brand managers showed that the company’s story was embedded within each of the individuals who performed tasks from the ordinary to the extraordinary each and every day—and employees could feel good knowing their work supplied the means to do it.

The video was well received, with one employee telling managers it “really gets the emotional core of this business.” This use of visual storytelling to carry meaning and emotional impact to viewers earned Bell Helicopter the prize for Best Marketing Video in Ragan’s 2014 Employee Communications Awards. 
 
We congratulate the team from Bell Holicopter and Snap! Event Productions behind this effort: Bridget Hall, campaign lead; TerriSue Wensinger, executive producer; Amber Jenkins, video producer; Dain Duston, creative development; and Justin Puda, editing and motion graphics.