Case study

Strategy, editing and content creation for staff magazine GVB

For transport company GVB, we - as final editor and magazine manager - produce the staff magazine, the InKrant, every month.

About GVB

The Amsterdam GVB transports more than 800,000 people in and around our capital city every day. Some 3,800 employees make this possible every day with trams, buses, metros and ferries.

The challenge

GVB was looking for a new strategy to link the offline staff newspaper more closely to the digital intranet and to position both resources more strongly.

Our partner Design Firm asked us to jointly develop a content strategy and content formula in combination with a contemporary design. Together, we won the tender and started working as proud Amsterdam agencies for this thoroughly Amsterdam client.

Our approach: a new content formula

The strategy we developed is in line with GVB's desire to focus more on the employee's story. A staff newspaper for and by employees, with the aim of creating involvement.

We devised sections, various content forms and a smart solution for the reference to the intranet. In the design, we alternated larger and smaller articles and made short news columns. Choosing a 'blonde' layout created a pleasant image/text balance.

To bring the editors into the new magazine formula, we gave a workshop and developed new briefing forms for the submission of topics. Together with the chief editor, we developed the production process into a planning with a copy and form phase and a structured review system.

The result

Since 2019, we have been producing (first fortnightly and now monthly) an eight-page tabloid-sized newspaper packed with GVB news and great stories about employees. GVB challenges us to go to work as fast news journalists, giving us a special insight into the kitchen of this unique Amsterdam transport company.

As editor-in-chief and magazine manager, we are closely involved in the Inkrant. We work closely with the editorial team and the chief editor and contribute ideas on the direction of the newspaper.

Also want to get strategic with content marketing?

We would love to hear from you! Leave your details here, or contact Dennis Mensink, on +31 (0)6 45 61 42 26 or dennis@mediatic.eu/en.