How an innovative tool to boost internal communication became a success both internally and externally

At a time when social tools are rapidly gaining ground on the Web, even in “classic” industrial sectors companies are beginning to change their ways of communication. One of the first to dare this bold move was the world’s largest steel producer ArcelorMittal.

ArcelorMittal Web TV season 1: Using Web 2.0 tools to consolidate the new brand

In 2007, ArcelorMittal launched ArcelorMittal Web TV: Creating History, an innovative Web TV mixing videocasts, blog, RSS feeds, tags... The website, created in cooperation with Vanksen agency, was designed to be a valuable internal communication tool to facilitate the propagation of information and exchanges between the different actors (330,000 employees in over 60 countries) of the group which had become the number one steel company worldwide. Its main objective was to reassure its employees by explaining the new group’s values to them. The Web TV also allowed the employees located all over the world to understand how other employees experienced the merger through authentic testimonials, at all hierarchical and structural levels.

The first season of ArcelorMittal Web TV was organized around a blog, twice a month publishing episodes about the integration and merger process. The aim was to periodically and directly communicate information about the progress of the integration process, the challenges the company faced and about the way it proceeded to overcome them in order to create a common corporate culture. Each episode was dedicated to a region or specific subject, featuring interviews with staff members who openly talked about the challenges they were confronted with and who also shared their success.

As Aditya Mittal, then Financial Director and responsible for the group’s internal communication (now President and Chief Financial Officer), explained: “Post-merger integration is an important challenge for any company. Even if the integration of Arcelor progresses satisfactorily, which we congratulate ourselves on, we still recognize that mergers are the cause for numerous questions and problems for staff members. We want to treat these in an open and transparent way in order to enhance acceptance of and confidence in the new entity.

To successfully conclude the integration is our top priority for 2007. We do not only focus on the integration of companies on the operational level, but also when it comes to creating a common company culture for the whole new company. The new television website has been designed to help us achieve this aim.”

Nicola Davidson, vice-president communication, ArcelorMittal, added: “The program for the website has been conceived for the next four months and will give detailed information on all aspects of the integration, especially the launch of the new brand. Communication plays a very important role in the integration process and the website has been conceived to give staff members a platform to voice their opinions, to comment and to share their experiences with colleagues, in the framework of the whole group.”

All the visitors of the website, especially staff members, had and still have the possibility to share their thoughts and comments on the integration process as well as other topics and events which are important to the company. Furthermore, every month Mister Lakshmi N. Mittal, CEO and president of the board of directors, answered one of the questions asked on the website.

“Although belonging to the heavy industry, ArcelorMittal is one of the organizations which are innovative and have already understood that a collaborative and open Web 2.0 approach, even if this is a challenge, is a very efficient approach for enhancing internal communication and to initiate a real common culture on a worldwide scale,” explained Emmanuel Vivier, Vanksen/CultureBuzz Managing Director.

ArcelorMittal Web TV season 2: Spreading the new brand’s values to create a common corporate identity

Following the huge success of season 1 not only among the group’s employees, but also among a large external audience, ArcelorMittal decided to launch the Web TV’s second season: “Inside Transforming Tomorrow”. For this project the brand called again upon Vanksen/Culture-Buzz and Connected Pictures.

Whereas the focus of season 1 was to strengthen the delicate fusion resulting from the Arcelor and Mittal Steel merger in 2006, through season 2 the newly created company aiming to “change the future” promised to give precedence to the group’s values, “Sustainable Development, Quality and Leadership.” Therefore the Web TV site design was entirely rethought in order to complement its key values. Again the website included a corporate blog, the possibility to comment, pictures, episodes and videos. In honor of the launch, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf appeared as a special guest in the first episode of the new season.

Like its predecessor, season 2 was a huge success both externally and internally: it created over 2 million page views and attracted 475 000 unique visitors.

The Web TV as a new communication channel has become the number 1 communication media within the ArcelorMittal group. ArcelorMittal continues to make itself a name as pioneer of Web 2.0 in the industrial domain and is claiming its place as leader not only in terms of communication.

Web TV season 3 is currently in the pipeline.

For further information, please see:
 ArcelorMittal Web TV season 1
 ArcelorMittal Web TV season 2

Launch of the ArcelorMittal online magazine “boldspirit”: The story continues

Inspired by the results of the Web TV, the steel giant trusted Vanksen/Culture-Buzz with the concept and creation of another major communication project: the online magazine “boldspirit”.

At a time of economic instability and following its merger, ArcelorMittal wanted to create an online magazine to facilitate internal communication. Therefore Vanksen chose to set up a global, innovative, and gathering communication means that completes the Web TV and is accessible to all. Vanksen took charge of the concept and online publication of the dynamic “boldspirit” magazine including photos and videos illustrating ArcelorMittal’s bold spirit.

This tool allows for highlighting ArcelorMittal’s image and for consolidating its communication. The human dimension is underlined by highlighting employees worldwide. In the section A Day in a Life they can publish articles about a worker’s day.

This shows that when it comes to corporate communication, innovation and cost control can be combined and everyone’s needs be met. The website boldspirit provides images that perfectly illustrate the group’s vision, without compromising neither its philosophy nor its editorial quality.

Through this campaign Vanksen has proven that it is capable to exploit all the synergies of the online environment. From a website over a Web TV to personalized videos the agency uses 2.0 tools in order to let Web users participate, that way engaging them more in their relationship with the brand.