Coca-Cola: the inside story

I’ve written internal comms for many years, for companies like Coca-Cola, Ryder truck rental and Lloyds Bank. One of the most enjoyable parts of this work is getting under the skin of the business, interviewing employees and finding what makes them tick. What’s good, what are the key issues, what would they like to know more about?

For over five years, I worked with Coca-Cola Enterprises, largely as editor of their internal comms magazine, initially in print and then as a digital version. This role took me all around the country, seeing the football World Cup in Manchester, to witnessing sustainability in action in Sidcup. I spoke to people all across the business, from the factory floor to the sales force, alongside interviewing and writing a monthly email for the CEO. Brilliant brands, brilliant people, brought to life in the pages.

Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of major events, as well as its incredible portfolio of brands, meant there was always plenty to write. Highlights included the London 2012 Olympic Games and 2015 Rugby World Cup website, for which we won a national internal comms award.

Of course, there had to be regular updates on the brand's unbelievable portfolio of drinks, and how they were being marketed and campaigns activated across the country. The aim was to inspire pride and passion in its people, to help them recognise the great work they were doing and also to – very literally – see themselves represented, not just the top brass talking down to them.

One area where the business and its people were extremely active was CRS. Sustainability was at the forefront of business decisions, and it was important to get people involved in clean-ups, recycling initiatives and broader work, to help justify their roles in the face of negative external criticism. This spread helped highlight just some of the work that was going on.

And finally, what could be a more iconic way to show that the holidays are coming than Santa himself? Coca-Cola's brand equity is so strong in this, that people often associate the start of the Christmas period with the famous ad. We wanted to capture that for the people who worked there, too, gearing them up for a crucial sales period.