Communication of acquisition began months before it was approved

Long before the regulatory approval process was complete, Ball Corporation’s communicators began mapping a campaign to get the newly enlarged packaging organization off to a running start. For their work in meeting the challenge, the team has won the Grand Prize for Employee Communications Campaign of the Year in Ragan’s 2016 Employee Communications Awards.

The combined employee population of Ball and the acquired organization, former competitor Rexam PLC, would reach 18,700, most of them in manufacturing jobs around the world. The challenges of messaging to get them on the same page were huge, from selecting channels that would reach everyone to accommodating more than 30 languages. 

The campaign, “The Power of Day One,” was designed to prepare leaders joining Ball from Rexam for their first day as part of Ball, as well as to onboard incoming plants and employees and establish a visual identity around which all employees could rally. Incoming leaders received training and tools in meetings conducted two weeks before the acquisition closed, with sessions in North, Central and South America, Europe and Africa, and the Middle East and Asia. 

Content presented Ball’s strategic narrative along with information on what was expected of them and their facilities. A toolkit was prepared for Day One of the joined organizations, including a cornucopia of strategically-designed tools like an executive welcome video, a visual profile of the organization (including an updated map of all Ball locations), welcome banners for each plant or location, Ball-branded materials (like hats, shirts, and notebooks) for all incoming employees, and much more. 

A special print edition of the employee newsletter welcomed new employees and shared key information and messages. A global town hall meeting was broadcast across the enterprise and the communications team shared news, videos and photos from Day One celebrations across social media. 

A post-campaign survey found an amazing 99 percent of former Rexam employees felt welcomed on Day One, and 91 percent felt very positive or positive about Ball’s vision, just two remarkable results from a noteworthy campaign.

Congratulations to the team of Kathleen Pitre, Renee Robinson, Barb Farson, Luiz Goncalves, Scott McCarty, Thais Moraes, Elisabeth Tanguy, Andrea Saula and Maijastiina Rouhiainen!