With so little direct contact and so many channels vying for attention, how can companies reach out to dispersed employees and keep them engaged? To celebrate its 40th anniversary, DHL launched a global employee photo competition, an inexpensive, accessible solution to engage some 500,000 employees stretched over 220 countries.

1. Every picture tells a story
An employee commemoration of
DHL’s 40th
anniversary
Kathleen Goh, DHL Global Communications
Communicate Social Media in a Corporate Context
Manchester, 19th
October 2010

2. Local country
participation
Regional voting round
Open commentary
Customer testimonials

3. Was it
Photoshopped?

4. This one was

5. Would you marry
this man?

6. Three-horse
town

7. And the winners were …

8. Setting the pace
Credit: Stefan Hausmann, DHL Freight Germany/Copyright DPDHL

9. Smiling in the
snow
Credit: Alexander Bittner, DHL Leipzig Hub/Copyright DPDHL

10. Frozen in time
Credit: Chris Gillet, DHL Express USA/Copyright DPDHL

11. DHL Superhero!
Credit: Adam Pillidge, DHL Express Canada/Copyright DPDHL

12. Horses for
courses
Credit: Ignacio de Wit, DHL Global Forwarding Guatemala/Copyright DPDHL

13. Planes, trains
and
automobiles
Credit: Lars Lehmann, DHL Freight Germany/Copyright DPDHL

14. Future investment
Supplied by: Jessie Khoh Mei Ling, DHL Express Malaysia/Copyright DPDHL

15. Banking on
success
Credit: Richard Stack, DHL Express USA/Copyright DPDHL

16. Ain’t no
mountain high
enough
Credit: Lander Fernandez, DHL Express Spain/Copyright DPDHL

17. The results
In just 60 days:
2 million page views
5.8 million hits
18,000 users
3,098 photos published
141,701 votes and rating actions
3,488 comments
112 countries submitted photos

18. Kathleen Goh, DHL Global Communications
kathleen.goh@dhl.com
Cara Jenkins, Senior Account Manager, theblueballroom
cjenkins@theblueballroom.com