our workNetwork Rail / Simpler Better Greener
How do you galvanise a workforce around a cohesive vision when they’re approaching a period of fundamental change? Network Rail is due to transition to Great British Railways, but the timetable and shape of the new organisation is yet to be defined. So having a clear story and shared direction matters more now than ever.
The whole of the UK rail industry works to 5-year strategic Control Periods, and Network Rail took the opportunity last year to launch their new CP7 strategy and brand story at the same time. The story had to look to the future to inspire confidence and restate the common purpose of ‘connecting people and goods with where they need to be’.
The narrative and strategy were developed independently of each other, by different teams at Network Rail. We served as the fulcrum between the two, helping to craft the narrative in a way that supported the 6 strategic themes of the new control period, and their associated outcomes. We also weaved in sentiments around the 200th Anniversary of the railway, the need to strive for high performance, and the opportunities ahead in a more integrated rail industry.
The brand story – called Simpler Better Greener – and CP7 strategic themes were launched at a Senior Leadership event in October 2023. Getting their buy in was crucial – Network Rail is a highly devolved organisation where information cascades down and radiates out from the top.
Our campaign creative brought to life the personal responsibility every individual in the organisation has as part of the Simpler Better Greener railway story and successful delivery of the CP7 strategy. It heroes colleagues from across the routes, regions and functions – and this starts from the very top.
We captured campaign photography and video testimony from the senior leaders at the launch event and have been touring the country with the campaign backdrop ever since, capturing the contributions that every individual makes to a high performing railway. We used storytelling to celebrate some of the teams whose work embodies the simpler, better, greener the vision, creating with three-minute films about local and national projects.
Embedding a new strategy and narrative in a highly devolved organisation of 42,000 people takes time, and a true multi-channel, multimedia approach. We’ve dressed buildings, taken over every screen, created over 30 videos, photographed over 300 members of staff across the country, and even created a podcast series to help front line managers become better at cascading information, to smooth the new strategy and story’s journey through the organisation.
Every wave of activity we deliver has an associated toolkit to allow managers to pick it up and make it their own.
We are currently planning the next 12 months’ activity, tackling a different strategic theme every 2 months.