Internal marketing is a concept that we were challenged with by Harriet and Alan Lewis, the owners of Grand Circle Travel. This is a concept that, at least in our experience, is way too seldom used. The idea was to create an environment for the employees that reflected the values of the company. One of GCT’s most valuable assets is the staff. Few customers ever visit the corporate offices.
The idea of internal marketing was to produce a whimsical, colorful, thematic design for the offices—design concepts that were aimed directly at the people who worked there. In the world at large, the lion’s share of the corporate marketing effort is aimed at attracting new customers, but for Grand Circle Travel, the marketing effort was aimed at creating an environment that would delight and inspire the people who work there.

Throughout the building, the concept of travel is reinforced. On the finance floor, we used money from around the world, paper money on the floor and coins on the wall. On the executive floor, we paved the floor with memos—a tongue in cheek reference to the amount of paperwork generated in this industry. On the selling floor, we painted compasses on the floor and flags on the walls.

The overall feeling of the building is light-hearted and friendly, reflecting the mission and values of the company.