Let’s be frank: filling the time sheet is one of the worst things of the

professional world. The so called “necessary evil”, something that the

employees see as an exclusive need of the finance department, and

even as a way of their bosses to demand that you show you are really

working. Everybody leaves it to the last minute, which leads to low

precision data, affecting all the checking system of a company.

This Project shows how to transform so unpleasant a subject as the

time sheet in a subject for all the company, making the filling index to

reach 90% using a technological approach to speak directly to the

target public in thinking about this communication as something that

improves the consumer’s life,

How to make the time sheet

a subject to all employees?

even if this means a glass of beer

During the year of 2011 the agency began a repositioning of the work

and image structure, seeking “speaking less and doing more”, to

explore different means and to embrace a truly global culture. But, as

in all repositioning, the clients take a long time to perceive and

embrace the change, and we needed to show that we really believe in

this vision. So we faced a curious situation of having ourselves as

clients and, therefore, we needed a real, internal challenge to attack.

The opportunity arrived with the implementation of a new system of

time sheet for all the companies of the group, developed internally,

which needed high adherence of the team in all the offices of the

network: the new time sheet is much easier to fill, but you’ll still

loose some minutes a day detailing your tasks.

The standard creative process is communicating the concept in the

most creative way possible, capturing and interrupting the attention of

the target public to convey an image. First, you buy the attention —

from a TV commercial to a space on a wall or an e-mail from the boss

— for then to convey the message.

But who is interested in knowing about the

new version of the time sheet program

and, even worse, that it must to be filled

every day?

Sun 04/11 Mon 04/12 Tue 04/13 Wed 04/14

The standard approach would be to communicate “Fill your

timesheet”! It’s good business” using billboards, a jingle, a funny

character — No Time Sheet Billy — or even a funny viral on YouTube.

None of these approaches would work to change the habit of an

employee, something that is not seen as an important part of his day.

Any message would soon become a joke among the employees,

reinforcing the concept we want to change, that to fill the time sheet is

not cool.

We needed to reverse the logic: conveying a message to the target

public that would be passed ahead by itself, earning the attention

of their friends. To achieve this result, our approach began with the

following insight:

The solution was to create something which was useful to the

target public before anything else, so then the objective in

question would be achieved as a result of this usefulness.

Something people could see first as useful to them, regardless of

brand, but still with the brand unequivocally linked. Gamification,

design thinking, social engagement, brand utility… deep down, all

these terms converge to the central point of our approach:

make things people want.

We had to attack the problem the same way done in the creation of a

product or a technology startup: solving consumer’s real problems

(even if superfluous) instead the creation of a message. A billboard, a

TV commercial or hotsite don’t make the consumer’s life any better

after the 3 seconds of laughter seeing the creative. With luck, the

advertised product will solve his life, not the campaign. Campaigns are

not useful, hotsites and Facebook apps are literally useless in their

vast majority, they are things that will not live in the consumer’s mind

for long. The secret of the so-called new communication partly is: using

it to solve people’s problems and, as a bonus, to solve the brand’s

problems, building things that live somewhere between product and

communication piece.

If I mention your brand to my friend, it is not because I

like your brand, it is because I like my friend.

To insert time sheets in the conversations we used as platform its real

opposite in the employees’ preference: Friday’s happy hour. If

everybody fills the time sheet the happy hour is on the bosses.

We connected the working hours database to a fridge at the company

bar, full of beer and a lock (connected to a 12-hour battery) that is

unlocked if, and only if, 90% of the employees fill the time sheet until

the time of the happy hour (we left 10% as margin for people on

vacation or outside the office).

A panel on the side of the fridge shows to everybody, in real time, how

the filling of the week is doing, making divulging the message “fill your

time sheet” to be everybody’s responsibility.

Making something people want

For the employees

Immediately after the installation of the fridge in 3 of our offices the

primary objective was met: we generated a talk and removed the filling

of the HR and from the “boring thing list”. The fridge and the time

sheet entered the talk of the week. The team morale was high and

spontaneously the employees started to send e-mails to the

colleagues, asking them to fill the time sheet as a positive thing, even

for celebrations:

Guys, free beer, today, to celebrate the Lions in Cannes!!!!!

Pinheiro, Leandro

Sent: Friday, June 22, 2012 5:2 PM

For that, fill the time sheet, for God’s sake!!!!

We won 2 lions. And there is a shortlist still competing.

Greetings

Happy Hour, Happy Client

For the agency’s image

The Project also was useful as a PR tool for the agency, first as an

image positioning within the global group as an innovative and relaxed

office.

For the client

(the finance department)

The important thing: the

time sheets are being filled

on time and until today the

fridge opens in celebration

on Fridays.