Ford Motor Company’s digital magazine weaves multimedia into a stunning print design

The impetus for transforming a print employee magazine to an online publication came when new CEO Mark Fields took the reins of Ford Motor Company. The online publication needed to reflect Field’s vision for innovation and convey his goals of growing the car manufacturer by introducing more new vehicle designs in a single year than ever before. The success of the effort has earned Ford first place in the “Electronic Magazine” category of Ragan’s 2016 Employee Communications Awards.

Fields was intent on finding new ways to tell the Ford story. After reviewing Fields’ ambitious, forward-looking agenda, the communications team determined that the time had come to transform the internal print magazine, which had been around since the 1920s, into an online publication that would be accessible to employees anywhere, any time. 

The team wanted a publication that would encourage dialogue among employees and appeal to a diverse workforce that included retirees, dealers, unionized hourly workers, salaried employees and the full spectrum of demographics. The @Ford digital magazine meets all the criteria, transcending internal boundaries and sharing stories with interested audiences. 

From video on the front cover and photo galleries throughout to interactive design, @Ford shares stories that reinforce key messages while highlighting the work of employees from across Ford’s vast, global operations. Employees are able to share individual stories in their social networks, making @Ford an advocacy tool as well. 

For a single issue of the quarterly magazine, @Ford achieved nearly 8,500 “read more” clicks and over 16,000 video plays, among other admirable metrics. 

Congratulations to Ray Day, Susan Krusel, Sara Tatchio, Jenn Corney and Andrew Kidd for their work.