A single unifying idea creates a ripple effect of change for global leader

CLIENT

Orica

INDUSTRY

Mining

SERVICES

Positioning strategy, Brand language extension, Marketing plan, Internal Engagement, Corporate collateral, Recruitment advertising, Training and onboarding materials, Digital communications

Uniting a global team under one inspiring Charter

Mining services giant Orica has more than 12,500 employees around the world, in more than 50 countries and working on 500 sites. Bringing them together with a single unifying idea, one that could be easily understood across language and cultural differences, was always going to be a challenge.

‘It starts with us’ became more than a Charter. It was a call to action that resonated with staff and customers, renewing their pride in an organisation with a significant history – and an optimistic future. It also conveyed, very simply, the values and behaviours all staff were expected to bring to work every day, no matter where they were in the world.

A Charter with a common purpose

Orica wanted a highly visual Charter that described a common purpose across the organisation and cut through the language barriers. This needed to be more than words on a page: it had to capture the imagination, inspire pride and commitment, and provide a sense of connection with what Orica stands for.

‘It starts with us’ describes the momentum of change

More than 3,500 Orica staff were involved in the Charter’s build, ensuring alignment to the company’s purpose, strategy and values. The Garden Agency ran a series of workshops to come up with the identity concept that the Charter would hinge on; ‘it starts with us’.
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Using the Spark Garden portal, we shared ideas, imagery and links so Orica could provide direct feedback and shape the output collaboratively.
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This idea, expressed as ‘ripple effect’ identity, hinged on the true impact of change. It may start with an action by one person, but it doesn’t stop there. The effect spreads outwards, with the potential to influence the wider team, the company and the entire industry. The Charter is more than symbolic: it could put staff at the heart of the company’s story.

“I love The Garden Agency’s creative process. We gave them all our diagnostic data: verbatim focus group responses, interview transcripts… they came back with visuals to stimulate conversations and debates with corporate affairs, internal comms, our partners. They provided an objective viewpoint, but also challenged us to make sure the idea was simple and would translate.”

Marissa Alley, Head of Organisational Development

Bringing Orica’s DNA to life, with a sense of pride

When Orica’s people got to work on November 11, 2016, they were surrounded by fresh communications on the walls, posters, banners, computer screens – even cakes decorated with the ‘It starts with us’ ripple graphics. The idea had caught on, and cascaded through Orica’s offices around the world.
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It renewed a sense of pride in working for a company with such a strong legacy and created a sense of optimism that had been hard to sustain though the resource downturn.
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The Charter was also made public through the website and presentations, demonstrating to customers what they can expect from Orica in terms of customer service, sustainability and safety.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Destination UnionPay

UnionPay, the world’s largest payment card company out of China, is expanding rapidly. Although they have established acceptance with every major bank in Australia, a big percentage of merchants are still not accepting UnionPay cards. To inspire and drive action, The Garden Agency developed an ownable and insightful B2B campaign that drives awareness and urgency on how to maximise the phenomenal scale of the affluent, high spending Chinese customer - highlighting that UnionPay is the only way to access this opportunity.

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The Orica Charter. It starts with us