Company: Sandoz AG, Basel, Basel-Stadt
Company Description: Sandoz is the global leader in generic and biosimilar medicines. Driven by its purpose to pioneer access for patients, more than 20,000 people work together to ensure 800 million patient treatments are provided annually, generating substantial global healthcare savings and an even larger social impact. Sandoz traces its heritage back to 1886. In 2023 it recorded sales of USD 9.6 billion.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Internal Communications - 100 or More Employees
 Nomination Title: The internal "Generation Zero" campaign
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated campaign or program, OR written answers to the questions for this category? CHOOSE ONE:
A video of up to five (5) minutes
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
January 2023
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
In August 2022, Novartis announced its intention to spin-off its Sandoz business to create a new, standalone company. This presented an opportunity for Sandoz to become the independent, global leader in generic and biosimilar medicines. Setting Sandoz on the right path was critical not just for the company, but the future of delivering accessible healthcare around the world.
To seize this opportunity, all 20,000+ employees would have to play their part. Significant additional work would be required to prepare the company for independence – on top of “day jobs” – meaning more would be asked of Sandoz employees than ever before.
A high-impact internal communications strategy needed to: (1) Reassure employees and create clarity around the journey ahead, (2) build belief in our vision for a new era and (3) inspire action to unlock it by capturing employees’ hearts and minds.
Furthermore, our employee research revealed that much was loved about Sandoz as it was: the Purpose, “Pioneering access for patients”, was the #1 inspiring reason to work at the company; and employees prized the Sandoz culture, specifically the inclusive, collaborative environment, and the spirit of accountability and ambition.
But there would have to be change – a new brand identity, governance, ways of working and IT systems, evolving from the parent company’s culture and more. To inspire employees’ commitment to and passion for what lay ahead, we would need to create a red thread that connected the ‘new’ to what they cared most about in the present.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 248 words used.
We knew from our research that employees were unlikely to welcome change that challenged Sandoz’ very identity. So, we:
- Created a strategic narrative that was a story of evolution rather than revolution, emphasizing the much-loved constants we would be building upon – our proud heritage and ‘pioneering’ spirit, the Sandoz name and our strategy– to shape the Sandoz of the future.
- Reinvigorated our Purpose as an inspiring motivator by imbuing it with new meaning, using it as the anchor for our narrative and as the platform for our refreshed brand identity. The key takeaway was: As an independent company, we’ll be able to shape the future of healthcare together and make an even greater difference for patients.
Change could challenge employees’ sense of personal control and connection to Sandoz, exacerbating uncertainty. To inspire commitment and action, it was imperative employees felt a strong sense of agency when it came to shaping the future – just as much as our CEO and leadership team. We needed a creative spark to catalyze this feeling. Recognizing that employees were quite literally founding a new company, we developed a creative platform that captured this sense of ‘ownership’, casting them as the protagonists in the story. From January 2023, employees became known as “Generation Zero”, building a new Sandoz together. Our goal was to ensure that the sense of agency and ownership that “Generation Zero” captured was not just something that was articulated by leaders, but something that was really felt by employees.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2019. Even if your initiative started before 2022, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2022 only (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
A multi-channel campaign including:
- Launching “Generation Zero” with a CEO video and townhall. The Viva Engage video post quickly achieved the highest engagement, ever.
- Recognizing “Generation Zero” as joint partners, providing regular, direct touchpoints with our CEO.
- Monthly calls with global leaders and managers, equipping them with the latest ‘need to knows’ to amplify content and engagement across the business.
- Frequent Q&As with the executive leadership team and regular employee surveys to understand the sentiment around our spin journey, which informed global campaigns addressing the ‘hottest’ topics.
- Inviting “Generation Zero” to join the traditional bell-ringing ceremony on Day 1 via video link, ringing in the new era with the CEO and Chairman with their Sandoz-branded cowbells around the world.
- Asking “Generation Zero” to share their dreams for the new Sandoz, read aloud by the CEO and Chairman at the Day 1 Townhall, constructing a truly shared vision for the future.
- Announcing the “Generation Zero” award to recognize the historic efforts of employees over the past 12 months, granting them company shares, or equivalent, making employees quite literally shared owners of the new Sandoz.
In November 2022, 33% of employees didn’t believe Sandoz was well placed to deliver on its Purpose. Following our strategic internal communications program, our latest global employee survey revealed that, as “Generation Zero”, leaders, employees and managers felt:
- well-informed about our spin journey (92%, 92%, 88%, respectively)
- confident in our future (88%, 97%, 91%, respectively)
- excited to play their part in shaping it (95%, 92%, 91%, respectively).
- You have the option to reference here any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 38 words used.
See enclosed pdf and video submission here: https://vimeo.com/910766685/19923c9d51?share=copy
These additional materials will give you more of a flavour about our campaign activities, how they were brought to life, and the movement it created amongst employees.
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