One Part Scissors recently completed an internal launch for Rand Merchant Bank called Nova Innovation. The project was done in collaboration with Michael Phillip.

RMB Nova Innovation is an internal mechanism designed to encourage innovative ideas. Any RMB employee who has an idea that can benefit the bank can submit their idea to the Nova intranet site. They must illustrate benefits and show how they plan to implement their idea, and their managers and peers will vote on the ideas. At the end of the year, the Innovations with the highest votes win substantial cash prizes.

The awareness and educational launch campaign made use of innovative channels to further underscore the message of Innovation.

The Tea Ladies were ‘branded’ with t-shirts, branded coffee cup tags and coffee cup collars and posters on their trolleys.
  
Trolley Posters
Posters were modeled on the usual ‘for sale’ type flyers that can be found on notice boards near water coolers, with the message “Innovators wanted”, complete with tear-off “I will innovate” tags that have the website address on them.

Notice Board Flyers
The Nova project is structured to have ‘Champions’ that can promote the project to their colleagues within their departments and business units. These Nova Champions were equipped with a Champions Toolkit that contains resources to assist them in promoting Nova. This includes branded post-it notes, whiteboard stickers with innovation messages, desk-drop flyers and posters, and digital resources such as email invitations and powerpoint templates.

Champions Toolkit CD Cover & Hanging Mobile

Nova Post-It Notes

Whiteboard Stickers

 
Posters & Flyers

On launch day, all RMB employees found a promotional ‘cheque’ to promote the project – a tactile illustration of the prize on offer.

Lastly, wall mounted decals were places in interesting and unusual locations to spark the imagination and draw attention.

 
Stair & Wall Decals

 Wall decals were placed in unusual locations to draw the attention of people who walk these halls on a daly basis.

Other elements of the Nova launch campaign include a comic book, featuring a Nova Superhero that will illustrate the process to the employees of RMB. The comic book is due to be released in the next 2 – 3 weeks.

Legae Securities recently underwent a rebranding exercise. The company’s new payoff line, “creativity + wisdom = innovation”, needed to be conveyed through the all-new website. One Part Scissors created a website that is fresh, sophisticated and powerful for both content editors and users of the website.

The website links into existing features, such as a Private Clients portal, as well as new features OPS built specifically for Legae. One such feature is the Legae Alumni Network, which allows employees to interact in a specialized community website (See more about this aspect of the project here).

Another all-new feature on the website is a Research Portal which allows Legae clients to access the considerable analytical skills of the Financial gurus at Legae, through daily share recommendations, weekly sharetalk newsletters, and various technical financial analysis.

A photoshoot was done by Ivok Studios, and this ranged from obtaining general images of the office environment to convey a sense of the energy at Legae, as well as excellent portaits of the team, to be used on the website, as well as in the media.

The website is built based on the Drupal Content Management System, which allows a variety of users to edit the site, all with varying degrees of permission access, so that analysts can add their reports and various other research documents, content editors can create all forms of new content, and registered clients can log in and access research information. All the levels of access are controlled and secure, so the website remain safe from abuse while allowing freedom of use to all the different levels of users.

See the website at legae.co.za

This is what Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein has to say about their Alumni Network site:

“Even after our people leave Goldman Sachs, they still identify with the firm and we want to foster that connection. We have a rich history and tradition, and we invest in it. Our alumni help us recruit. They participate in volunteer activities. They come back to speak to our people, and they do business with us. Not only does this help validate our culture, it provides a real, tangible value that transcends any single generation.”

The social network will allow Legae Alumni to remain in contact long after they have moved from Legae, as well as enabling Legae to use the platform to improve the work environment for current employees, based on open, honest feedback from former employees.

The Social Network is built on the excellent Ning platform, which allows for the rapid creation of a Facebook style community that is open only to Legae Alumni, ensuring privacy and exclusivity.

The home page of the Legae Alumni Network. The Facebook style layout lets people feel at ease right away.

A typical Profile page

The online chat feature allows Legae Alumni to reconnect and catch up with colleagues.

See the blog post on the original design here.