Institute of Internal Communication – membership magazine

Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC), the leading independent professional body dedicated to internal comms and employee engagement, appointed Artful Dog as its creative partner to develop a refreshed communication and publishing strategy.

Our aim was to produce a magazine that stood out from the content that internal communicators receive every day. We wanted to produce a publication with newsstand design and valuable content that IC managers could share with their teams – offering authentic experiences of the internal comms world and practical advice about resolving the challenges of effective employee engagement.

In December 2016, we launched a quarterly, feature-led print magazine, with an accompanying online channel, Voice Online, exploring the good, the bad and the ugly of internal communication.

Artful Dog writes, edits and designs the publication (52-56 pages) – planning and writing all content, sourcing contributors and interviewees, laying out copy and providing creative direction.

Sent to more than 1,400 IoIC members – mainly IC managers, consultants and creative agencies – Voice takes an honest look at the challenges and barriers internal communicators face in delivering a positive employee experience.

Voice explores the topics and trends keeping internal communicators awake, and the channels they use to deliver key messages and create inclusive cultures. These have included mental health in the workplace, diversity and inclusion, the recruitment of ex-offenders, comms on a small budget, working with external comms, ESNs, digital transformations, gamification, live events and artificial intelligence.

An award-winning magazine
At the memcom membership excellence awards in 2018, Voice won Best Magazine Launch/Relaunch. It has twice been nominated for Best Association Magazine at the Association Excellence Awards.

Voice Online
Voice Online includes edited and extended content from the magazine, as well as additional online-only news and features. Additionally, Artful Dog redesigned and relaunched IoIC’s monthly e-newsletter, Voice Mail, which goes to 5,000 subscribers and includes Voice features and articles, alongside curated content from around the web.

Voice Live
In 2018, we launched Voice Live – an annual full-day event that brings the magazine to life on stage with a series of panel sessions, presentations and interactive workshops and activities.