What Can EHSQ Learn from Coca-Cola?

Coca-Cola knows a thing or two about engagement. The brand, which helped shape the modern Santa, claims its name is the second-most understood word globally after “OK”—so, any EHS or Quality Director seeking to increase engagement in 2023 need look no further than the red labelled bottle you probably already have in the fridge.

Coca-Cola, or “Coke”, is the largest beverage manufacturer in the world. It started out in 1886 with—yes, it’s true—cocaine in the original recipe. The narcotic has since been removed, but what’s not changed is the company’s iconic brand.

Why are we telling you this? Because in a world where 97% of EHS Leaders rank frontline worker engagement as a moderate to high priority, Coke has some useful lessons in store. (And, because “holidays are coming!”)

1. Keep your EHSQ message front of mind

Despite being an established household name, Coca-Cola invests huge amounts to keep their brand front of mind. The company spends over $4 billion per year on global marketing, more than any other soft drink producer.

This goes into maintaining a stellar brand image, through TV commercials, attending festivals, sponsoring sports events, digital billboards, and more (here comes the Coke Christmas truck…)

In other words, where there are people, there is Coca-Cola.

EHSQ needs to achieve the same within an organization. Whether being present on the shop floor, hosting regular awareness days or integrating EHSQ software into Microsoft 365, businesses can take a sip out of Coke’s can and make EHS and Quality continuously visible to everyone.

2. Stay consistent to build trust

The famous Coca-Cola logo we know today hasn’t changed much over the years (neither has the contoured Coke bottle).

Why? Familiarity keeps Coke memorable, builds awareness, and builds trust.

In the same way, EHSQ messaging should be consistent whenever it touches employees.

For example, some companies have a set of safety rules or Life Saving Behaviors (LSBs) used in training, which can be incorporated into incident reporting or risk assessment systems to strengthen their meaning.

Other organizations have an EHSQ slogan displayed throughout the workplace, in training materials, in marketing, and repeated at toolbox talks.

This is known as the exposure effect and it’s a massive part of Coca-Cola’s success. People like things they are familiar with—and EHS should be up there.

3. Let your audience take part

Remember when Coke put your name on a bottle?

The “Share a Coke” campaign was so successful it won multiple awards and is often cited by advertising experts when explaining the importance of personalization.

By putting 1,000 names on bottles, Coca-Cola invited consumers to interact with the brand in a new way. This led to more sales and increased online engagement.

Can EHS do something similar? The CSR team at LBC Tank Terminals did. By inviting all staff to take part in near miss reporting on an easy to use, familiar (!) platform, submissions increased by 370% in the first year.

(They also won an EHS Innovation Award, which we think is more important than an advertising one!)

The lesson from Coca-Cola here is involve your audience. If employees personally feel part of EHS, they’re more likely to engage.

How can EHSQ on Microsoft 365 help?

Of course, we can’t take our comparison of EHSQ and Coke too seriously—but looking at how other industries, companies, and departments achieve their goals can be an inspiring practice.

Leaders must find ways to advertise EHSQ as part of a larger engagement strategy. Pro-Sapien can help by providing easy to use EHSQ software on Microsoft 365—the platform your employees already use every day.

It may not be a tasty soft drink, but if you’re a Microsoft 365 enterprise, our solution’s got your name on it 😉

Learn more about what Pro-Sapien can do for you in our eBook, Why Pro-Sapien: Boosting EHS Engagement in Enterprises.

Questions? Please get in touch with our team!