Crédit Agricole SA, the French leader in local universal banking, considers cybersecurity a priority. The Group is aware that employees play an essential role in mitigating cyberthreats and organizes an annual awareness campaign for all its entities and staff.
For its 2024 campaign, the Group turned to Willing for support!
Human error: A serious cybersecurity flaw
Cyberattacks no longer target just computer systems, they also – and above all – target people.
We have seen a sharp increase in the number of increasingly sophisticated social engineering frauds, attacks designed to trick victims out of money or personal information. They pose a constant threat to businesses.
Employee training and awareness is more important than ever, but raises a number of communication issues: How do I raise awareness of cyberthreats among thousands of staff members without taking the moral high ground? How do I make cybersecurity more accessible, less abstract? How do I communicate technical information in user-friendly language?
The Crédit Agricole Group approached Willing and its in-house marketing and communication department, Cinétique, to help tackle this challenge.
A strong, empowering, human-centered campaign
The Cinétique team of marketing and communication experts worked closely with the Group’s IS Security and Risks Department to develop an awareness campaign with a triple objective:
- Remind staff of good IT security practices, without demeaning the women and men who make up the Group,
- Help teams to gradually adapt to an enhanced cybersecurity, by changing behaviors, creating new habits and supporting them through the learning curve,
- Design a positive, striking campaign, clearly explaining the risks of social engineering fraud.
It had to be an awareness campaign centered around people. An idea rapidly formed, that of a strong, large chain in which every link has a role to play, symbolizing the unique importance of every staff member in reducing the daily risk of cyberattacks and so guaranteeing optimal security throughout the company.
The campaign title became Strongest Link, chosen from among the various creative concepts presented.
It is a resolutely positive campaign featuring a series of six portraits spotlighting employees making the right choices, with a focus on commendable behavior, rather than stigmatization.
It was rolled out internationally to all Group employees as an integral part of a dedicated communication strategy, in both print and digital formats (posters, kakemonos, etc.).
An animated didactic film was also released to round out the multi-channel campaign, explaining the phenomenon of social engineering in a video medium.