The Estée Lauder Companies are committed to cutting-edge R&D and scientific excellence. Founded by a pioneering woman, they are always looking for ways to support other female pioneers. It’s a crucial endeavor, given that women make up less than a third of the world’s researchers and constantly face barriers throughout their careers in science. The organization is always looking to put the spotlight on both exceptional achievements of female scientists and those working to promote greater inclusivity.
The Estée Lauder Companies were interested in showcasing their future-forward approach to diversity by supporting women in STEM. The company also wanted to build awareness around its commitment to R&D and academic research.
It was also crucial to establish a long-term partnership that would create a community of mentors and to support that community. The company knows first-hand that mentoring, and specifically mentoring of young women, is a strong contributor to success. So the goal was to connect mentorships via scientific experts in their fields who have the unique skill set required to support and accelerate the awardee’s research progress.
How could The Estée Lauder Companies help build recognition for inspirational early-career female researchers and those who have worked to champion women and girls’ participation in science?
After plenty of discussion, the plan was to launch two global awards. The Inspiring Science Award honored female scientists who have excelled in scientific discovery and have completed their PhD within the last ten years. The Innovating Science Award recognized an individual or an organization that has led a grassroots initiative to support increased access to, or interest in, STEM subjects for girls and women around the globe.
Awareness for the inaugural awards and applicant submissions were driven by a multi-channel marketing campaign. The NRG marketing team used audience segmentation to target the right people for each stage of the awards process. A custom landing page was built to act as the hub for inbound traffic driven primarily through social media and supported by campaigns across email, digital, and print.
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The promotional campaign for the awards resulted in an abundance of quality applicants. The mentoring channel saw high levels of engagement from the shortlist of nominees, emphasizing the importance of mentorship programs. Participation in the channel, including a wide-range of discussion topics, exceeded the company’s expectations. The company also received a lot of positive feedback from the communities they partner with. After speaking with some of their new hires in science & engineering, the company realized the far reaching impact of the awards. The awareness of the campaign was noted by the employees who expressed the importance of joining a company that personified diversity & gender inclusivity in research.
Learn more about the 2018 winners of the Nature Research Awards for Inspiring and Innovating Science
I hope people take away from these awards that they represent a partnership between Nature Research and The Estée Lauder Companies, in promoting women in STEM and the educational opportunities to advance that. I really believe that these awards will result in a true force of change for this area.
Lisa Napolione SVP, Global Research and DevelopmentThe Estée Lauder Companies
