GEO AWARD WINNERS

The "Your Shares: Gifted" communications campaign won the award for its exceptional and holistic approach to engaging employees in their share ownership journey. Judges commended the program’s clear, effective messaging, which was reinforced by innovative videos, simple vocabulary, and accessible materials tailored to both online and offline colleagues. The campaign reached 41,000 employees across 45 countries, achieving impressive metrics such as 76,429 views of the intranet launch story and 5,831 views of the leadership team’s launch video. With only 140 queries, less than one per 300 colleagues, the program demonstrated outstanding clarity and engagement.

The program’s success was driven by strong leadership involvement, with the CEO, CFO, and executive team participating in videos to promote the initiative. The integration of company branding with equity messaging and the use of peer videos featuring real-life success stories added a human touch. Judges were particularly impressed by the use of multi-channel communication, including brochures, presentations, posters, and targeted emails with unique QR codes, which contributed to an impressive 78% email open rate for the launch and 91% for the awards email.

Media coverage in prominent outlets such as the Financial Times and BBC validated the program’s effectiveness and impact, while the 23,991 visits to the "Your Shares Hub" reflected strong employee interest. The high engagement across both digital and offline channels, including 3,118 QR code scans, highlighted the campaign's broad reach. The campaign’s success was not only measured by high participation but also by the positive feedback from employees and leadership, making it a standout example of how effective communication can drive a successful employee equity program.

This communications campaign won a GEO Award due to its impressive global reach, thoughtful design, and effective engagement strategy. Launched across 24 countries and 17 languages, the program reached 20,000 employees, including a significant offline population of 55%. Judges were particularly impressed with the clear, inclusive content and the extensive use of videos, QR codes, and local champions to engage both online and offline colleagues. The campaign's phased approach—champions, engage, educate, and empower—ensured that employees understood the OurShare plan and felt supported in making informed decisions.

Judges highlighted the campaign’s success in fostering participation and engagement, noting strong communication materials tailored to each country’s needs. The creative use of QR codes and offline materials, such as cafeteria tray liners and printed assets, further supported accessibility. The campaign’s impressive outcomes, including high engagement rates, positive feedback, and excellent participation across regions, were noted. However, there was a suggestion for more focus on strategy and techniques in the submission.

Overall, the campaign stood out for its comprehensive, well-executed approach that empowered employees to invest in their future, even in complex and diverse environments.

JTC’s 2024 EIP Galaxy Era Award communications campaign was awarded the GEO Award for Best Plan Communication due to its exceptional design, thorough planning, and engagement with employees. The campaign’s primary goal was to educate JTC's 1,800 employees—60% of whom were receiving share awards for the first time—on the technical aspects of the EIP Galaxy Era Award while fostering a culture of ownership.

Judges commended the campaign for its multi-faceted approach, which included clear, concise messaging and diverse channels like the Joogle Hub, explainer videos, and tailored tax guides. The campaign was carefully crafted with input from a Comms Champions Forum of over 40 global employees, ensuring that it met the needs and preferences of the workforce. The use of a branded monarch butterfly symbol throughout the materials, along with real employee photos, gave the campaign an authentic and relatable touch.

A key highlight was the "Ownership for All Day," a global celebration where employees engaged in both virtual and in-office activities, including interactive posters, e-cards, and social media posts. This day not only celebrated the Era Awards but also strengthened the emotional connection to JTC’s culture of shared ownership.

The campaign also featured virtual masterclasses, providing employees with the opportunity to ask questions directly to internal share plan experts. These sessions had a high level of participation, with 40% of employees attending, and further boosted engagement.

With 86% of employees reporting a better understanding of the EIP Galaxy Era Award after the campaign, and over 5,000 views on the Joogle Hub, the communications plan proved to be highly effective. Judges noted the impressive integration of technical education with emotional engagement, fostering a sense of community and shared success at JTC.

JTC’s campaign exemplified the power of clear, accessible communication and strategic use of diverse media, ensuring employees not only understood their share plans but also felt valued and connected to the company's broader goals.

Erste Group was Highly Commended in the Best Plan Communications category for its exceptional strategy in promoting employee engagement and financial wellbeing through its WeShare by Erste Group program. Designed as both a share ownership initiative and an education platform, WeShare exemplifies how targeted, well-executed communication can empower employees to become long-term investors and active company stakeholders.

Judges praised the submission’s clear focus on communications, highlighting a “well laid out, nice strategy” that effectively broke down complex financial topics into digestible and actionable content. The program’s “behind the scenes” video—featuring real employees and authentic personal stories—was especially well received, with one judge noting the “professional quality” and “emotional resonance” of the video assets.

Erste Group’s approach blended strong creative elements—such as animated explainers, interactive collages, and first-person testimonials—with practical education via visually engaging landing pages, webinars, and capital markets tours. These efforts collectively worked to demystify share ownership while reinforcing long-term investment principles.

The unified communication strategy ensured consistent messaging across a diverse international workforce. It not only boosted participation—rising to 88% in 2024—but also fostered a sense of co-ownership and alignment with company success. While judges expressed a desire to see more direct evidence of the financial literacy impact, they unanimously agreed that the communications were the standout strength of the submission.

Erste Group’s WeShare program sets a strong example of how thoughtful, modern communication can drive plan success and build a culture of financial empowerment across a global organization.

Created to celebrate Telefónica's centenary, Plan100 exemplifies creativity, inclusivity, and forward-thinking. The communication strategy, anchored by the slogan "Yo creo, yo me apunto" ("I believe, I'm in"), engaged employees through four distinct phases. By making employees the protagonists of the campaign, Telefónica fostered a sense of belonging and pride.

A standout feature of Plan100 was the innovative use of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), designed by an employee, as exclusive digital assets commemorating the company's history. This modern approach appealed to younger generations, adding excitement and exclusivity to the plan. Despite the challenges posed by a remote working environment, Telefónica successfully reached its global workforce of 100,000 employees, showcasing the plan in multiple languages and engaging senior leaders from various locations.

The judges applauded Telefónica for its inspirational campaign, revitalizing a mature plan to mark a significant company milestone. They praised the engaging communication strategy, highlighting the involvement of employees in the design process and the use of NFTs to inspire younger generations. Overall, Telefónica's Plan100 stands out as a shining example of effective communication and employee engagement in share plan initiatives.

DoorDash's innovative approach to equity compensation communication has garnered recognition for its creativity, effectiveness, and impact. Facing the challenge of educating a diverse, global workforce on equity and taxation, DoorDash's equity team embraced creativity and innovation, revamping its entire communications program.

Simplifying language and adopting a friendly, relatable tone ensured maximum engagement across different employee lifecycle stages, from new hires to RSU vesting events. Targeted campaigns with creative headlines and eye-catching visuals reduced confusion and led to a significant decline in inquiries. DoorDash provided easily accessible resources, including interactive wiki pages, engaging ‘RS(YOU)Tube’ video playlists, live webinars, and informative tax guides, enhancing employee understanding and engagement.

Judges were impressed by the company's comprehensive approach, innovative digital assets, and impactful engagement strategies. With success in engaging employees across 35 countries and providing personalized learning experiences, DoorDash stands out as a leader in effective communication strategies, setting a new standard for equity plan communication excellence.

Coca-Cola's "KO Shares" plan’s innovative approach to employee engagement strategy went beyond information dissemination, aiming to create an immersive experience for employees worldwide.

With its catchy tagline ‘Buy 1, Get 1’ and alignment with the NYSE stock symbol (KO), the branding demonstrated creativity and consistency. Clear goals of boldness, employee focus, and simplicity guided the communication efforts, which included extensive materials like brochures, presentations, videos, FAQs, and digital assets, all translated into multiple languages.

Personalization played a crucial role, with targeted email strategies tailored to individual employees. Ground teams further supported the rollout through daily interactions, town hall meetings, and virtual sessions.

KO Shares saw high enrollment rates, strong engagement metrics, and an impressive 90% renewal rate for the following year. Judges commended the campaign's engaging branding, comprehensive approach, and employee-friendly communication materials, such as the upbeat video and detailed how-to guides.

Overall, KO Shares illustrates how effective communication can foster employee participation and a culture of ownership globally. It reflects Coca-Cola's commitment to empowering its workforce and promoting inclusivity.

The judges praised the campaign for its engaging branding, clever tie-ins with the Coca-Cola brand, and comprehensive communication strategy, highlighting its success in driving participation and fostering a sense of ownership among employees.

SThree’s outstanding communications initiative was meticulously designed to align employees' interests with the company's success and enhance financial literacy among its workforce.

Through clear communication channels such as emails and an intuitive intranet platform, SThree ensured that employees could easily access comprehensive information about the share plan, fostering informed decision-making. The plan was made accessible to all employees, regardless of jurisdiction or financial literacy levels, promoting a sense of belonging and engagement.

By framing participation as an opportunity to invest in the company's long-term success and employing innovative communication methods including videos from the CEO and regional champions' support, SThree achieved a remarkable 38% uptake globally, surpassing the targeted 20-25%.

The judges commended SThree's comprehensive communication strategy, noting its informative and easy-to-follow approach. They appreciated the added incentive of free shares and the absence of a waiting period to join, indicating a commitment to inclusivity. While the basic elements were well-executed, they suggested stronger analysis and follow-up on underserved groups for future improvements. Notably, the microsite was highlighted as an impressive feature of the communication program.

Anglo American's MyShare employee share plan communication program has been recognized with an award for overcoming a complex set of challenges. The plan required implementation in 15 countries and multiple languages, with a particular emphasis on communicating with employees in South America and China. The launch was complicated by economic uncertainty and a lack of understanding among many employees about share plans and ownership.

To address these challenges, Anglo American created an engaging communications campaign with a clear narrative that emphasized the plan's benefits. The campaign was rolled out in four stages, utilizing various communication assets to educate and inform employees at different levels. As a result, 73% of eligible employees accessed their MyShare account to accept their Free Share Award, and 36% opted to invest their own money in the Purchase and Matching Shares Plan.

The judges were impressed by the campaign's thoroughness across events and phases, and how it reflected the company's corporate culture. They also noted the early engagement with local coordinators and managers, which was viewed as a strong point. The follow-up questionnaire proved valuable in identifying areas for improvement in future campaigns, and the use of multiple communication methods to reach employees who don't have access to online tools was seen as a smart and effective strategy.

Overall, the judges were impressed by the campaign's attention to detail, inclusiveness, and potential for continued improvement.

The Coca Cola communications program was created to engage all employees globally, regardless of their job role or location. The comprehensive campaign included launch communications in nine languages, a 90-second animation video, posters and flyers, a Shareworks guide, tax guides, webinars, and intranet portals in local languages. 

The program's success was attributed to creating a meaningful connection between employees and the business's broader vision, elevating excitement about ownership, and making it easy to understand and participate. The program achieved a 37% take-up rate globally, with New Zealand's being the highest at 58%.

Colleagues across the business gave overwhelmingly positive feedback, indicating that the communications were engaging and easy to connect with, leading to an impressive take-up rate. 

The judges were impressed with the comprehensive and well-executed nature of the communications. They felt that the program's focus on inclusivity and accessibility was evident and that the communications were designed to engage a diverse audience, with an effective rollout strategy that considered different learning styles, including animation and accessible step-by-step guides. The integration of the company's core values into the communications was also effective in creating a meaningful connection between employees and the business.

The judges appreciated the consistency of branding with the company's culture and the crisp, modern, eye-catching, and fun materials that conveyed important information.

The RS Group communications program has been recognized by the judges for its innovative approach to creating a global all-employee share ownership plan. The program was designed to resonate with employees across the globe, who come from diverse cultures, ethnicities, genders, ages, and backgrounds. The key objective was to create a simple, impactful, and inclusive plan that would be accessible to all employees, regardless of their location or role within the company.

To achieve this, the communications approach was intentionally relaxed and plain-speaking, avoiding corporate terminology and instead mirroring the RSWay branding. All communication and plan documents were translated to maximize inclusivity, and materials were delivered online, via email, and through the company's SharePoint site, with hard copies provided where necessary. The program also included workshops for employees to learn more about the plan and ensure maximum engagement.

The program successfully granted awards to 7,753 employees in 32 countries, with a 100% take-up rate. Each employee received a free share award over 100 shares, with an approximate value of £1,000 at grant. The plan was designed to be easy for employees to participate in, with no unnecessary barriers, and awards vest in 2025 subject to continued employment and a performance target to grow the company's profit CAGR%.

The judges were impressed by the program's inclusivity, simplicity, and impact, as well as the vibrancy of the materials and the alignment with the company's culture. They noted that the program tackled a difficult topic like PSUs with very simple messaging, making it accessible to all employees. Overall, the RS Group communications program stands out as a comprehensive and innovative approach to creating a global all-employee share ownership plan, and is a deserving winner of its first award