Although Sanofi is a global pharmaceutical organisation with more than 90,000 colleagues in over 70 countries, it felt that its employer brand was not reaching enough people. Knowing that 68% of candidates research social media before applying for a job and that employee content gets eight times as much engagement, the company embarked on a campaign to engage 250-350 Sanofians to become employee advocates. At first it needed to overcome a few issues: that staff might feel what they had to say is not relevant or important, and their fear of sharing something that would breach regulations in such a regulated industry.

The influencer community needed to be inclusive, so all employees were invited to join. It also needed to be both locally relevant and global, so Sanofi brought market leaders on board before activating influencer engagement through training and an internal recruitment campaign. Sanofi reached out to influencers using mass internal comms emails and Yammer posts, personalised approaches to key Sanofians via email, and three sting videos giving further insight into what the community would be doing. A celebration video on LinkedIn showcased influencers who had been involved in a successful pilot.

Once all had signed up, the influencers were upskilled at scale, including how to overcome disengagement in Zoom calls through interactive elements such as quizzes. They were provided with clear guidance on regulatory issues, and provided with a full suite of assets such as email headers, zoom backgrounds and digital posters. Each was set up with a buddy to support them on their journey, connected through a digital hub where they could share best practice. During the Paris Olympics, they were provided with a unique workshop and the tools to create themed posts and Sanofi hosted a bespoke interactive experience in its Paris head office. The whole campaign generated 97 million impressions and engagement increased across all platforms.