Today, Smarts has launched INgage, a new internal communications practice to help brands build their place in culture from the inside out.
The initiative is spearheaded by Jo Singleton, former senior lead within Diageo’s global employee engagement team, who joined Smarts last year and has already supported multiple global clients to deliver exceptional employee engagement campaigns.
A team has already been set up to work closely with Singleton on these campaigns, and over the next year the agency plans to double this capacity – hiring further internal communications specialists, with the aim that each of the agency’s offices in Belfast, London, Glasgow, Amsterdam and New York have this expertise locally.
It’s the MSQ-owned agency’s third significant investment over the past twelve months – following the launch of its new ‘Creator Hub’ influencer and talent offer in June 2023, which saw investment of £1m+, including the creation of 10 new specialist roles; and expansion to mainland Europe with the opening of a new Amsterdam office.
Smarts already boasts a significant roster of internal communications clients in the fashion, FMCG, and travel sectors and the launch of INgage is set to both deepen existing work and position the agency for growth.
“As an agency, Smarts believes in the idea of Cultural Endurance—building brands that last in culture,” says Jo Singleton, Internal Communications Director. “We believe that starts by capturing the imagination of your own people and giving them reasons to champion you beyond your company walls, creating cultural impact from the inside out.”
“Internal comms has been key to our work in recent years — some of our most creative and attention-grabbing projects have been in this space. We’re thrilled to now have a dedicated focus on it. Jo is the perfect appointment to lead INgage and drive further success for our clients. We’ve set ambitious targets and will be investing significantly to achieve those over the course of the next year.”
Pippa Arlow, Smarts’ Global CEO
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