Making-Of Boehringer Ingelheim's new Employer Branding

How do you make a globe out of balloons? How do you reproduce the three-dimensional presentation? How do you create the right proportions between continents and oceans, how do you highlight the intricate details?

It's a drab, cold Tuesday in Shoreditch, London, not even 10°C, and the project team, wrapped up in thick jackets with hats pulled down over their foreheads, wait for shooting to resume in the large, brick-built events hall, once an underground tunnel.

It's all to do with Boehringer Ingelheim's implementation of a highly unusual concept for the relaunch of its employer brand. In the tall brick hall various balloon sculptures are being produced by hand and photographed – each one stands for one of the employer values of Boehringer Ingelheim. The result: Modern sculptures in a space steeped in tradition. Simple, yet innovative.

"In this project we are able to creatively combine our claim to be a globally operating, independent research-based pharmaceutical company with our corporate values", explains Laura Wessely, project manager for Boehringer Ingelheim. Every balloon sculpture is produced manually by set designers, a different technique elaborated for each motif. The project was conceived and implemented by a global team put together by an agency and a production company – six motifs emerged that visually depict the employer brand of Boehringer Ingelheim in a creative and memorable manner.

Innovation

As a research-based pharmaceutical company, we view innovation both as a challenge and a driving force. Across the world, some 47,500 employees work day in, day out on developing innovative and effective medicines for humans and animals.

Independence

Independent research and development have created the basis for the success of Boehringer Ingelheim and remain the prime mover behind new innovative drugs for the treatment of diseases with hitherto unmet therapeutic needs. Our clear conviction: Plan for the long term in order to ensure sustainable growth.

Responsibility

Founded in 1885, the company remains in family ownership to this day. Accepting social responsibility is an important part of our corporate culture. This includes our worldwide involvement in social projects and the considerate treatment of our own employees. Respect, equality of opportunity and a healthy work-life balance form the basis of our interactions.

Care

Since our employees are our greatest asset, we adapt our human resources policy to their lifecycles. In other words we take account of the personal circumstances of our employees. We believe that each phase of life influences the demands placed on us, and we are more than happy to take these into account.

Open-Mindedness

We are convinced that diversity enriches our company. And we want our employees to contribute their differing perspectives. Only through an inclusive corporate culture that doesn't rule out any idea or any thought, and that encourages us to take the broader view, can we make the most of our extensive potential for innovation as a research-based pharmaceutical company.

Passion

We provide a working atmosphere that enables us to grow together beyond ourselves. We offer our committed employees demanding, challenging tasks with a variety of interesting career prospects at both national and international levels.

"We've enjoyed some awesome, very busy and intensive days with a highly professional creative team!" is how Laura Wessely describes the implementation of the project. "The sleepless nights leading up to the project have definitely paid off!"