Meet Connie, your conscience

For the launch of their refreshed Code of Ethics to staff, Wellcome wanted to create an innovative and impactful campaign. The goal was to increase staff engagement and shift mindsets through making an emotional connection with ethics and integrity.

Enter Connie. A new puppet star who burst onto the scene by staging a takeover of a compliance webinar.

This is be a bravely different approach and a creative risk. But it's a risk underpinned by clever thinking about human motivation and behaviour. So what is that thinking, and why is it working?... 

Doing the right thing

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation, driven by a mission to solve urgent world health issues. All Wellcome colleagues need to uphold the highest standards of conduct and ethics to preserve the organisation’s leading reputation.

At its heart, this comes down to empowering everyone to ‘do the right thing’ in the moments that matter.

So launching the new Code of Ethics was a key priority. But nobody really wants to read a compliance rulebook right?

Fraser Simpson, project leader and Wellcome’s Associate General Counsel - Ethics, Governance & Compliance, explains:

“It would be easy for people to see the Code of Ethics as restrictive and dry. We had to show them how it connects to our beliefs, our values, and our mission, and to help them see it as an asset by making it actionable.”

The launch campaign needed to emphasise that “doing the right thing” is intuitive. That people are trusted to make good decisions. And that most of the time, the majority of us have a clear and consistent sense of whether something is OK or not. We need to pay attention to that inner voice that helps us decide. The critical action is to stop and think before we act. If you’re still not sure whether something’s OK, we’ll give you some simple checks and resources you can use to guide your behaviour.    

Why Connie?

Acteon worked with Fraser and team on a unique, memorable and creative approach.

We created ‘Connie’ - a friendly puppet that represents every employee’s own conscience. 

The core campaign message – pause, think, and ask: “What would Connie do?” – reinforces simple yet impactful behaviours. 

The campaign launched with a short film featuring Connie taking over a compliance webinar. Connie writes monthly ‘Ethics Gym’ emails, with dilemmas to challenge staff, and worked examples of how to approach them. Connie will soon interview Wellcome’s CEO, providing clear ‘tone from the top’.

Connie (they/them) has been adopted as a key member of the Ethics team – complete with their personal intranet profile and email address. Connie’s presence in training sessions, leadership meetings, and team discussions has instantly made ethical issues more approachable.

Wellcome have also developed iConnie, a Teams-based AI chatbot to signpost relevant policies.

The approach is versatile, and can be tailored to different contexts and audiences.   

Inclusivity and transcending barriers

A puppet captures attention and is inherently memorable and engaging. Connie breaks expectations, making campaign messages eye-catching and stickier.  

Connie connects with the widest possible audience. They are non-threatening and inclusive, presenting moral dilemmas safely and supportively, and encouraging employees to reflect on their actions without feeling judged.  

Connie’s inclusive design ensures accessibility through print, braille, podcast and audio-described videos. 

Fraser adds:

“Puppets can transcend social boundaries, be both playful and serious, and listen, speak and be humane without the baggage of actually being human.”

Connie has made abstract ethical concepts tangible, accessible, engaging and – most importantly – actionable for all employees. 

Making an impact

But has the campaign worked?

Since Connie’s arrival, there’s been an unbelievable response and incredible engagement.

Wellcome reports more regular, more meaningful conversations with the Ethics, Governance and Compliance team. Engagement is at an all-time high.  

Connie has been invited to speak at a conference in North America, and has received acclaim from leading experts in L&D, communications and compliance. We haven’t been able to identify any other organisation globally that has used a puppet in this way. Numerous major organisations have commended it and asked to learn more. The approach has translated across cultures, with brilliant feedback from China and Uzbekistan to Costa Rica, the USA and Brazil – Connie transcends cultural boundaries. 

Fraser says:

“We’ve been blown away! We'd hoped that whether people loved or hated Connie, the concept would get everyone talking about ethics – and this would have been a good outcome even if some people didn’t ‘get’ or like the puppet. But actually everyone at Wellcome loves Connie. We’ve been asked to bring Connie to at least ten large group meetings, reaching all staff, to get ethics on the agenda. Posts featuring Connie are amongst the most popular content on our intranet.”

Colleague responses to Connie…

“An inspired way to bring ethics to life, making it front of mind and easy to talk about.”

“Connie creates a talking point. It’s hard not to raise a smile at a pink haired puppet!”

“I love the inclusivity of Connie – from their pronouns, to the accessible versions of the Code”

“The novelty, surprise and creativity that Connie brings will maximise learning”

“Connie brought in a real sense of fun, much needed in compliance!”

“It’s made the whole building smile.” 

Steven Hoffman, Chief of Staff at Wellcome said:

“Huge congrats for recruiting Connie to Wellcome! They are exactly what we need here. I admire the creativity, thoughtfulness and risk-taking. Kudos to all involved.”