Deloitte TV Network Connects Executives and Employees

According to the U.S. Supreme Court, corporations are considered people.

But corporations can’t breathe. They can’t walk. They can’t play a game of catch with their corporate son or corporate daughter, and they can’t surprise their corporate spouse with a weekend trip for two. Corporations are just...corporations.

However, there’s one business that’s taken this notion of “personhood” and used it do something good. And that’s Deloitte.

Owned and operated under the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) umbrella, Deloitte employs thousands of dedicated professionals in independent firms throughout the world, providing auditing, consulting, financial advisory, and risk management services to select clients. Despite the company’s vast coverage across the globe, all of its member firms adhere to the same principle: purpose.

“Deloitte is led by purpose,” says Michael Weinstein, the company’s Multimedia Manager. “That purpose is to make an impact that matters. This purpose defines who we are. It endures, transcending the everyday and binding us together. It gives us reason to exist.”

That said, it’s refreshing to hear that a company does, in fact, have feelings.

At our PLAY 2017 conference, Weinstein stopped by and talked to us about Deloitte’s mission to humanize its global brand, with a lot of help from Brightcove video.

Like most organizations, Deloitte sets the tone for its leadership style and corporate culture from the recommendations of its C-suite executives. But with over 244,400 professionals across 150 countries, it’s safe to say aligning these initiatives is no easy task. For each one of Deloitte’s independent firms, they not only have to adhere to the regulations of the countries in which they operate; they also have to function under the guidelines of DTTL’s executive management. Add to the fact that there’s leadership turnover every few years, it’s a difficult challenge to get all Deloitte employees on the same page.

In order to get everyone on board with company operations, Weinstein introduced video as a way to put a human touch to the organization. Whereas an email or a company-wide voice mail message would have sufficed before, Deloitte aimed to connect with staff on a personal level and get everyone engaged.

“We wanted to have a way for our network of thousands of employees to meet the new leadership,” he says.

Cue Brightcove.

Combining Deloitte’s intranet and Brightcove, the company created an internal video portal dubbed the “Deloitte TV Network,” a place for employees and executives to connect on a more personal level, no formalities included. The page, exclusive to Deloitte’s global organization, features videos of impromptu conversation between hosts and Deloitte management, giving employees a sneak peek into the everyday personalities of their leadership staff.

On the technical side, the firewall-protected employee page operates on a multi-tab Brightcove-powered player, with each tab representing a distinct company-related topic. Topics include “Global,” “Brand,” “Community,” and “Events,” among several others. Click on a tab and playlist appears, featuring video content relevant to the subject at hand. There’s even a separate channel centered on CEO communication, giving viewers advice and personal anecdotes straight from C-suite staff.

“Executives are passionate about helping people,” says Weinstein. “They want employees to feel more connected, so they offer this platform to give advice, and to get to know them better.”

After its launch, the “Deloitte TV Network” proved a smashing success. Using Brightcove’s analytics, Weinstein was even able to report a 75% play rate among company employees—a statistic that’s exceeded all initial expectations.

“We assumed most people wouldn’t have time to sit and watch until the end of the videos,” says Weinstein. But lo and behold, Deloitte recorded over 21,000 minutes of viewing time, crushing the company’s original goal. Employee engagement was through the roof. Even executives themselves noted how wonderful it was to participate in the videos and connect with fellow employees.

Kudos to Deloitte for reminding us that big companies have big hearts, too.