How do you galvanize nurses to change lives globally? You issue a challenge.

Sanofi wanted to engage nurses into a community with very little budget, while deepening their relationships with key nurse organisations. Nurses are an underserved community in severe need of help, mentorship and knowledge. They are also a key stakeholder for Sanofi due to their focus on management of key chronic illnesses.

So we helped develop the Care Challenge, an annual global competition to highlight innovations from nurses. Launched solely via nurse organisations and word-of-mouth, we created a true international movement. Care Challenge became an instant hit. We got over 900 ideas from 130 countries, and climbing.

We went and filmed winners around the world. The films made organisations like UNESCO take notice. Countries like Morocco and Cameroon adopted their local innovations, instantly improving millions of lives. Communities in many other countries are now using these ideas to transform healthcare for their citizens.

The Care Challenge also attracted others. Like TED, which Invited Sanofi to present. Then theygot highlighted at the UN Womens’ Leader Forum 2014.

An idea shared can indeed change the world.

1. First we shaped the Care Challenge into an enduring innovations program that annually spotlights replicable health ideas from nurses across the globe.

2. Then we went on the road with Sanofi, hearing directly from nurses. Those learnings were transformed into a film & 'simple-to-localise' paid media and PR toolkit that appealed to nurses for ideas, in their own voices. This was a key part of the strategy since nurses respond vigorously and enthusiastically to their peer community's request for help.

3. Finally, to maximize the limited budget while simultaneously nurturing a closer working relationship, we coordinated with hospitals and nursing organisations themselves to pay our message forward through their members, word-of-mouth.

4. After the best ideas were selected by a committee, we travelled to those parts of the world to film nurses in their environment. These films were then used to generate further enthusiasm.

5. The films were shared widely within nurse organisations and at key events like the International Nurses Day.

1. Over 900 entries and interest from over 130 countries, and counting.

2. Annual global winners selected in collaboration with nursing organisations, deepening those key relationships.

3. The first ten films received powerful local political attention and endorsement. Innovations from Morocco and Cameroon have been adopted as national standards of care.

4. Nurses from 130 countries are now using Connecting Nurses community and the Care Challenge content. For example, Francophone mental health protocols developed by nurses in Canada are being adapted for use by nurses in CONGO DRC, where no such guidelines exist.

5. UNESCO became a partner and initiated joint projects.

6. TEDx invited Sanofi to present in Brussels.

7. The stealth innovations team got valuable internal recognition from Sanofi’s CEO, company leadership and round 2 funding.

8. Sanofi is now recognised as a strong champion within the nurse community, right after Johnson&Johnson, at a fraction of the cost.