Repurposing annual report stories for internal audiences

We’ve got history with Nilfisk. It goes back to 2018, when we produced whitepapers, case stories and thought leadership pieces for the business. So when Nilfisk came calling again, it felt less like a fresh start and more like picking up a former conversation.

Only this time round, with new stakeholders in place, who needed an experienced comms partner to deliver editorial and writing support on their annual report, quickly and competently.

Meeting the brief(s)

Nilfisk had a big story to tell. A new strategy, a new business model and the introduction of five new business units.

Our job was to bring each unit to life. Interview the heads. Capture their focus and their three-year plans. Turn it all into five sharp case stories for this year’s Annual Report.

That was the plan, anyway. Then everything changed.

Mid-project, Nilfisk was acquired by a major German brand. That triggered big changes across the organisation, including what was required for the 2025 Annual Report. It would become a leaner, sharper document, focused only on the essentials and primarily for shareholders and the new parent company.

Which raised an interesting question: What to do with the five business unit case stories, originally written for a more expansive narrative and broader audience?

Repurposing, rewriting, rolling with it

Nilfisk was resourceful from the off. There’s too much good material here to lose, they said. Could it be repurposed for an internal audience, presenting the business model to colleagues and sharing with them what each of the five new business units would be focusing on going forward?

It could. But not by lifting and shifting. A new audience meant a new medium, a new framing and a new tone. So we reworked all five case stories, turning them into chapters in a downloadable booklet that colleagues anywhere in the company could access and read.

The booklet now lives online for Nilfisk colleagues to download and share. Every case story found a new home. Every interview earned its keep. And Nilfisk got real value for the work they’d commissioned, even when the destination shifted halfway through.

For us, this project reflects what great collaboration looks like in practice.

When the acquisition shifted priorities for the comms team and management was stretched, we acted as an extension of their team – trusted to engage with colleagues and make decisions to keep the work moving through a period of change client-side. Staying reactive when needed, proactive where possible, and flexible throughout.