Elevating communication to a strategic level

In the summer of 2023, Luxembourg’s government agency Luxinnovation mandated waveL to perform a comprehensive review of its communication and marketing initiatives, with the goal of creating a strategic roadmap that would prioritise, harmonise, streamline, and expedite workflows.

The initial phase involved waveL conducting a thorough analysis of Luxinnovation’s mission, goals, programs, and operational frameworks. This analysis aimed to assess the organisation’s aspirations and activities from both an internal perspective (“who we are”) and an external viewpoint, considering stakeholders, commercial interests, and market demands (“whom we serve”).

Utilizing a structured methodology, waveL was able to evaluate, filter, and prioritise the organisation’s communication and marketing efforts, organizing them around key missions and significant market-driven themes such as climate, mobility, security, and health. This process enabled the identification of gaps and imbalances between efforts and outcomes, allowing us to convert our collective insights into a comprehensive working matrix and actionable roadmap.

waveL formed an Editorial Group, acted as its moderator, and lead its activities. This Group was tasked with executing the master plan, creating engaging content such as narratives and a storybook, and organising campaigns and roadshows. Additionally, the Group focused on resource allocation, defining responsibilities, key performance indicators (KPIs), and ensuring effective communication with the executive committee and the Board.

The partnership between waveL and Luxinnovation serves as a prime illustration of “Direction as a Service.” This model entails spearheading the creation of a communications strategy for an organization in transition and overseeing its practical implementation. Direction as a Service is particularly beneficial when there is a lack of an in-house or senior communications director. As a result, our proposals for future departmental frameworks and organisational charts, which encompass role definitions and team responsibilities, play a crucial role in this service. This may also involve assuming a strategic leadership or facilitative position among a network of public relations, investor relations, or marketing agencies contracted by the client, which are vital for achieving market access, reputation, profile, sales, and overall success.

waveL’s work with Luxinnovation culminated in a successful overhaul of its Communication & Marketing strategy at the C-level. We consistently applied our methodology to develop focused storybooks and comprehensive campaigns, while also ensuring operational coordination, briefing, guidance, and alignment among teams and colleagues.

The success of waveL in our Luxinnovation mandate can be effectively illustrated by a striking image that emerged upon the completion of our strategic journey. We discovered that the triangle diagram we had created for the teams, designed to assist them in filtering, structuring, and focusing the organization’s storytelling, was prominently displayed on various office walls, serving as a pin-up or mantra.

When we inquired about its presence, the response was, “We use it every day!” For a consultant, there is no greater reward than witnessing the impact of Direction as a Service.

Following our high-level mandate, we continued to provide support to Luxinnovation on specific initiatives where the state agency played a leading or participatory role, such as “Healthcare Week Luxembourg” and “Luxembourg Venture Days.”

The central theme of our collaboration and the primary request from the client remained consistent: Can you assist us in crafting a compelling narrative? Can you help us engage with relevant topics? Can you support us in unifying our activities?

Our response in every instance has been, and will continue to be: “Yes, we can”.