Whitbread
Internal Development
Campaign
The Brief
Real stories. Real people. One powerful format.
Whitbread wanted fresh, engaging video content to support their Rise & Shine apprenticeship campaign, timed around National Apprenticeship Week. The content needed to work both internally, driving awareness and pride across the business, and externally, supporting early careers recruitment through authentic storytelling.
The creative approach had to feel human, natural, fun and confident, fully aligned with the Rise & Shine employer brand. Story-led rather than information-heavy, it needed to spotlight real experiences: confidence growth, progression pathways, myth-busting, and the genuine support apprentices receive from their managers and teams.
The goal was a hero video plus a bank of short-form content that could be distributed to over 30,000 people across the business and used to attract external talent.
The Feature
Rise & Shine: The Apprentice Pass-It-On.
A social-first relay video where apprentices share their story through one powerful word, creating an energetic, authentic hero piece designed to land with tens of thousands.
The Results
One day. One format. Content for the whole campaign.
1
Hero video produced
5
Short-form stories created
30k+
People reached across the business
The Approach
Designed for authenticity. Built for social.
The participants were not actors or presenters. They were real apprentices with real stories. The format needed to make them feel comfortable, confident, and natural on camera, while producing content that would stop the scroll.
The Pass-It-On Format
Each apprentice wrote one powerful word on a wipeable Rise & Shine-shaped board: words like CONFIDENCE, PROGRESSION, BELONGING, PRIDE, and GROWTH. As they wrote, their voiceover began, telling their story in their own words.
The moment they finished, the board was passed or thrown off-screen to the next person, who caught it and started their own story. The relay format kept the energy high and the pacing tight, creating an instant hook that held attention from the first frame.
Why It Worked
The writing moment gave each person a natural, low-pressure way into their story. Voiceover reduced the anxiety of speaking directly to camera, which meant the delivery felt genuine rather than rehearsed.
The format was inherently built for short-form content. Each person's segment worked as a standalone clip, giving the campaign five individual stories alongside the hero piece, all from a single day of filming.
The Outputs
Campaign-ready from day one.
Hero Video
An innovatively filmed relay-style video bringing together multiple apprentice stories into one high-energy piece, distributed to over 30,000 people.
5 Short-Form Stories
One per apprentice, each a standalone piece of content designed for social distribution and internal cascades throughout the campaign window.
BTS & Outtakes
Behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes captured on the day, providing additional high-engagement social assets for the campaign.
Brand Alignment
On-brand. On-message. On-budget.
Every element of the production was designed to sit within Whitbread's Rise & Shine employer brand, from the visual identity and motion graphics through to the language, tone, and positioning of each story. The content was built to feel like it belonged to the campaign, not bolted onto it.
The approach also delivered exceptional value. A single filming day with one operator produced a hero video, five standalone short-form stories, and additional behind-the-scenes content, giving the campaign a full bank of assets ready to deploy across internal channels and social platforms.
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