HSBC - Setting a Global Standard for Safety & Respect

Challenge: For HSBC, harassment and bullying isn’t just an HR issue - it’s a global cultural and reputational risk.

The challenge wasn’t policy. It was engagement.

Across markets shaped by hierarchy and local norms, these behaviours are often hard to surface - and even harder to address without creating defensiveness or cultural friction.

Solution: I developed a campaign – “Know where to draw the line” - designed to make difficult conversations safe to engage with across cultures.

Animated, non-human characters removed visual cues like race, age and nationality - enabling employees focus on situations and behaviours in an unbiassed way.

This created:

• psychological safety
• cultural neutrality
• and a shared way to talk about difficult issues

The approach extended into a scalable set of assets across internal channels including a hero film, posters and intranet banners.

Impact: The work was rolled out globally and embedded across multiple regions, becoming an influential training asset.

Stakeholder feedback highlighted strong engagement, particularly in markets where discussions around harassment and bullying are traditionally more difficult to initiate. The use of non-human characters was consistently cited as a key factor in enabling open, non-defensive reflection.

The project was also recognised externally, winning Silver for Best Animated Film at EVCOM.

Role: Strategic narrative, concept and direction

Agency: Media Zoo