Merck

The Sustainables

* B2B

* Digital Campaign

* Gamification

Promoting Sustainability with Gamification

Sustainability is a balance of social, economic, and ecological interests – one Merck strikes perfectly, thanks to its many experts across the globe. So, to showcase the company's sustainable work we presented the employees behind its exciting innovations as The Sustainables – Curious Minds Dedicated to Human Progress...

Meet The Sustainables: We present real Merck employees as animated characters.

Challenge & Brief
As governments chase climate goals many respond by imposing limits, cuts, and even bans on processes, materials, and emissions. Unfortunately, innovation is often overlooked as a force for change. Our job: showcase the sustainable benefits of Merck innovations in an informative and fun way.

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The Sustainables: Find out how we use employer branding and online games to make sustainability tangible. To the case study .

Solution
Scientists love a challenge. So, to appeal to their passion for problem solving, we created The Sustainables – a gamification campaign promoting the benefits of the company’s sustainable innovations with the help of three tough, interactive games.

Cultured Meat: Cultured meat improves animal welfare and helps address future food demands. In the game, players must plant trees strategically to reforest the excess grazing land left behind by reduced livestock farming. Play now!

Smart Antenna: Gamers must connect Merck's smart antenna technology with satellites to bring the benefits of connectivity to those living in the world’s remotest regions. Play now!

SMASH Packaging: Gamers must optimise shipping operations by removing polystyrene coolers and ice bricks – made obsolete by an innovative Merck antibody that doesn’t need power-hungry cooling. Play now!

Trees for Levels: We made the Cultured Meat game even more attractive by partnering Merck with One Tree Planted to plant 12,000 real trees to celebrate the first 12,000 completed levels!

Keep it Simple
The use of gamification and interactivity to simplify complex technologies and processes makes the topics more tangible and while raising awareness for the company’s experience and expertise. Something to inspire other businesses to define what contribution they can make.

"The Sustainables is a fun and important tool which communicates Merck's commitment to curiosity and sustainable human progress. The clever mix of employee insights, interaction, and gamification whets the appetite for responsible, sustainable research among science and technology audiences.”

Christine Blum-Heuser – Associate Director Brand Initiative at Merck

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Meet The Sustainables: The animated campaign film introduces audiences to Merck experts and their sustainable research.

Up Close and Personal
By addressing the three pillars of sustainability (economic viability, environmental protection, and social equity), the campaign microsite showcases how a commitment to sustainable business practices can make a real difference. Colleagues involved in the development and planning of Merck's sustainable innovations share insights and learnings...

Smashing It: Fabien Thibault explains how the company's SMASH Packaging initiative helps minimize its ecological footprint.

Meat and Greet: Lavanya Anandan explains how cultured meat could help sustain global nutrition.

Connecting People: Dieter Schroth explains how smart antenna technology can bring development to more people across the globe.

Take a Guess: Short quizzes and informative surveys complement employee interviews.

Meet the Team: Interviews with Merck employees directly involved in the development of its sustainable innovations.

Still Curious? Extra information on the contributing factors influencing sustainability outcomes.

Results
The microsite demonstrates the company’s sustainable credentials in a simple and entertaining way. During a 4-week campaign phase it accumulated…