Case Study: Contempo Design’s Employee Newsletter

How do you keep in-house communication lines open when your company grows from 50 to 450 employees in seven different locations? Contempo Design (www.contempodesign.com) needed to meet the internal challenges of evolving from a single product line of exhibits to a supplier of retail/financial environments, specialty interiors, events and labor management. One tool: an employee newsletter to market the company’s brand and philosophy internally.

” We looked at doing it on the web or via e-mail, but … the shop guys don’t have e-mail and we wanted them to use the newsletter, not just the salespeople,” said Chris Kappes, Contempo’s VP Corporate Marketing & Communications.

The resulting newsletter, with its second edition recently released, is a nice mixture of company information, such as employee interviews, and reports on new business and awards; communication from upper management, for example, a “state of the union” from company president Rob Shaw, and thoughts on the company brand from Kappes; as well as industry information, like interviews with editors from Exhibitor Magazine and B to B.

“Newsletters work best when there are a bunch of different offices,” said Rebecca Hayne, Director of Public Relations for Alexander & Walsh, the firm that works on content development for Contempo’s newsletters, among others. “Not only do they keep the rumors down, but they help to unite the office and avoid the game of telephone.”

As an added benefit, Kappes reports that the newsletter, designed by ZGraphics, Ltd., has been so well received they are planning to “give it more of a consumer spin” and use it as a promotional piece for clients. That’s the kind of killing two birds with one stone (or print job) strategy to make any marketer want to give it a whirl.

Originally published in SAM Magazine in July 2001.