How bp transformed global comms with a team of Smart Brevity “Ninjas”

The energy company equipped 5,725+ employees with strategic communication skills, driving change across 37 countries.

The challenge: In 2018, bp was ready for transformational change. Executives were being buried in more communication than they could possibly distill, digest, and translate for their teams — imagine a pile of news clippings to start each morning. Employees needed better, more frequent communication about the business, their roles, and ways to stay safe and productive. 

When you have a workforce of more than 87,000 people, keeping them on the same page is something top communicators can find challenging to do. They needed a pioneering idea to upskill the comms function even further — and better serve the entire organization. It had to be:

• Proven: Investing in a long-term partnership to foundationally change the way a big company operates couldn’t be a gamble. They needed data-backed ideas that would deliver.
• Succinct: Message sprawl and information overload had to stop. They needed a style that could keep operational and safety information smart and clear, but brief.
• Accessible: Rolling out a new skillset across a division means supporting people at all levels of their career. They needed a program that would work for many.
• Scalable: The long-term goal was to level-up the quality of communication happening across the organization — above and beyond what central comms owns day-to-day. They needed a program and process that could grow with the organization in an effective way.

The solution: bp partnered with Axios HQ to build a Smart Brevity training and editing program to define a new style of communication at bp, train the entire comms function on it, develop “Smart Brevity Ninjas” to expand the skillset beyond central comms, launch a daily newsletter called “In The Know” that would better serve all areas of the business, and continue to evolve the style over time alongside its operations. 

How it worked: 

1) A strategic editorial engagement: bp and Axios HQ did an audit of the information reaching employees. They digested feedback about what was working and what could be better, and they developed a centralized content strategy around a daily newsletter called “In The Know.” Together, they…

• Used a proven format. Axios HQ’s single-column newsletter structure is tested and proven to enhance focus. Its Smart Brevity writing format is shown to boost engagement, comprehension, and memory of important information.
• Assembled the right team. HQ helped identify and train the editorially minded communication strategists who could own “In The Know.”
• Define the right strategy. Over two months, Axios HQ curated news and produced the newsletter for a limited audience of executives and key staff influencers. Once the length, voice, and content mix felt right, they would expand the audience one step. More tests and feedback followed. This strategic, measured “radiate out” approach took the newsletter from an audience of 10 to tens of thousands without sacrificing quality or impact. 

2) A robust training program: bp and Axios HQ developed a tiered system of Smart Brevity training — from introductory 1-hour “Bronze” courses, to hands-on 2.5-hour “Silver” workshops, to pro-level in-person retreats for a small pool of “Smart Brevity Ninjas.” Their courses needed to…

• Build skill quickly. The bespoke sessions focused on going deep on the what, the why, and the how of the Smart Brevity style. Rapid iteration of the session format over weeks of testing turned it into the most engaging and effective format for bp’s unique workforce.
• Be highly customizable. Comms oversees everything — from external brand building to internal staff and executive updates, and from culture amplification to legal implication. The trainings have a set format, but are flexible enough to apply Smart Brevity to any situation, and bp now has different training types to upskill its staff.
• Support a multi-lingual workforce. bp’s comms team sits around the world, spanning the UK, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Trinidad & Tobago, Australia, the Netherlands, and more. The trainings were developed in English, but, where needed, adjusted to incorporate a local translator. 

3) A strategy to scale: Over time, Axios HQ developed a bespoke “Train the Trainer” system for bp to upskill, certify, and sign-off a core set of Smart Brevity pros — bp’s Smart Brevity Ninjas — to be able to run their own Smart Brevity training sessions for bp’s staff. HQ refreshes their materials, trains new Ninjas, and shares evolving best practices throughout each year, to keep them at the top of their game.

📊 Impact at scale: 

• “In The Know” has over 48,000 subscribers, delivering essential business news, organizational changes, safety protocols, competitor update, and culture-building cross-functional visibility.
• Nearly 6,000 bp employees have gone through some level of Smart Brevity training and are equipped with the skills to use the style in their day-to-day work.
• Between 30 to 40 Smart Brevity Ninjas have been trained, signed off, and are actively expanding the skill of Smart Brevity throughout bp in their own licensed training program. 

💭 Mark Salt, who leads the Smart Brevity program within bp: 

• “By shorter communication, better communication, clearer communication, and getting to the point of what we want people to do, we're all saving each other time. It gives people what they need so they can go off and do the jobs they’re there to do more confidently.”
• “Think about the people working in safety jobs. The impact is massive. If we can help them with safety messages and ensure people are reading them properly, they're getting through them completely — these kinds of communication improvements make a massive difference in the way a company like ours can operate and the way our staff can stay safe.”

bp earned Axios HQ's 2025 Best-in-Class award for Smart Brevity Champion. See our other award winners:

• 2025 Best-in-Class All Staff
• 2025 Best-in-Class Change Management Communications
• 2025 Best-in-Class Community Engagement
• 2025 Best-in-Class Culture Creator
• 2025 Best-in-Class Employee Comms Team of the Year