Enterprise transformation often starts with being bold and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. When it comes to employee experience platforms, the companies managing change successfully are the ones using them as a catalyst for innovation.
One example is dentsu. At Unite 25, Sophie Muskett, Program Director for Global Digital Platforms, and Neil Marshall, Global Digital Channels Manager, shared how the company’s digital employee experience platform dentsu Dot has evolved far beyond its intranet roots.
Here are some top takeaways for enterprises looking to accelerate the pace and quality of digital transformation.
Drive design through the company purpose
Dentsu didn’t start with technology. It started with purpose: Innovating to Impact.
That phrase, already core to its client brand, became the foundation for the employee experience. Every design choice – from the name dentsu Dot to its visual identity – reinforced that shared purpose.
Rather than asking what the platform needs to do – start by asking what you stand for. This then enables you to drop down a level and look at business goals, ensuring your platform is tied into measurable impact.
Make social a business multiplier
Dentsu’s enterprise social isn’t an internal version of LinkedIn – it’s a structured network for cross-functional collaboration. Communities like AI Connective bring together over 8,000 employees to exchange ideas, learn from one another, and accelerate readiness around emerging technologies.
This enables expertise to be accelerated at scale. One tip for businesses at the start of this process is to empower communities that link to strategic priorities (for example AI or client growth). Give them visibility and leadership sponsorship, not just a space to chat.
Automate to liberate
Dentsu replaced repetitive, manual CMS training sessions with automated learning journeys – seven short video modules that onboard content editors at their own pace.
A key lesson was that smart automation isn’t just about efficiency – it’s also about scaling capability. That shift from dentsu expanded the trained editor community and freed the core platform team to focus on innovation.
Sophie underlined the impact of automation for her business, stating:
“We started with 300 and now a year later we have over 1000 trained content editors.”
Look for high-frequency processes such as training or content publishing, and redesign them into automated, self-service experiences.
Redefine recognition as a strategic tool
Recognition is one of the most powerful cultural levers leaders have, but can sometimes be one of the most underused.
Dentsu’s Kudos system rewards not only output but also the behaviors that drive collaboration and creativity. Within three days of launch, 1,000 Kudos were shared, building instant momentum.
Recognition shouldn’t be a side program – it should signal what the organization values most. Tie recognition badges to leadership behaviors, align them to company goals, and make them visible on profiles and homepages.
Treat ideation like a portfolio, not a suggestion box
At dentsu, the Ideation Hub organizes creativity around defined “challenges,” each with an owner, timeline, and accountability.
This structure ensures ideas don’t disappear into a void – they progress through action that can have a genuine strategic impact.
Neil highlighted that “having that a challenge owner means they can be accountable for the ideation within that area and that gives structure ownership and a clear path to action.”
Transparency is what sustains momentum, so structure your ideation process like a portfolio. Assign owners, resource follow-up, and track conversion from ideas to outcomes.
Bring AI into the daily workflow
Dentsu is one of the first organizations to adopt Unily’s AI Agent Orchestrator, integrating Microsoft 365 Copilot and custom-built agents to help employees find information, draft content, and complete tasks more intelligently.
“We are really proud to be one of the early adopters of this. For us it's a big step forward, so it brings us much closer to our broader business vision, which is creating that global AI powered front door.”
Sophie Muskett
A core theme throughout the conference – and something Unily CEO Lokdeep Singh also touched on in the Day 1 keynote – was around AI-augmented productivity being the next phase of employee experience.
The organizations who’ll be able to leverage the maximum benefits of AI are the ones who don’t see it as a plug-in, but embed it in the daily flow of work. It should be part of wherever employees search, learn, and collaborate. This has the potential to enhance both productivity and the ROI on your tech stack.
Unily Futures. Prepare to buy your last intranet.
Internal attention has business value
In Switzerland, dentsu piloted an internal advertising model: targeted mandatory reads that showcase available ad slots to its media-buying teams.
This simple mechanism drove an 86% daily read rate and opened a new revenue opportunity.
Something every EX leader grapples with is the fact that employee attention is a scarce and valuable resource. However, dentsu have shown that when you understand your audience, you can deliver internal content that creates both engagement and business impact.
The big lesson: Innovation starts on the inside
Dentsu’s well-received session was a reminder that transformation begins not with clients or technology, but with how employee experiences are designed.
When you design systems that can spark easier connection and innovation – your culture becomes a competitive advantage.
The next era of enterprise growth won’t come from adding more tools. It’ll come from connecting the dots between people, purpose, and performance.
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