Leveraging Your Company History

Written By Megan Lee

As a company approaches their milestone anniversary, be it their 25th, 50th, 100th or 200th, a unique opportunity arises – giving corporations the chance to harness their history as a means for reflection, celebration, and the ability to look ahead to the future. Product anniversaries also serve as significant milestones, proving their continued success in the market. While it may seem a straightforward process at first glance, observing a company or product anniversary involves several intricacies that requires tact and deliberation. When carried out effectively, a commemoration can extend beyond a simple celebration, fostering a deeper sense of unity among employees. In addition, by recognising its rich history, a company’s anniversary can solidify its standing as an enduring, authentic, and reliable presence within its community. 

Before embarking on an anniversary plan, a few factors should be taken into consideration.

To begin, what key message and themes are you intending to convey when commemorating your company’s milestones and achievements? Common points include acknowledging employees for their dedication and essential roles, reinforcing the company’s cultural values and collective goals, or leveraging the anniversary as an opportunity to transform cultures to adapt to present day standards. As noted in a Harvard Business Review article on the importance of company history as a leadership tool, “a shared history is a large part of what binds individuals into a community and imbues a group with a distinct identity.” By drawing employees closer together under a common culture, it not only strengthens internal bonds but also enhances the company’s representation as a dependable institution within its wider community.

Once a key message is established, you can delve into the company’s archival collection, if available. A well-managed and organised archive can form the backbone to an anniversary celebration. The stories and materials captured within can bring life and authenticity to every element of an anniversary programme, including themed events and experiences, interactive timelines and exhibitions, commemorative publications, memorabilia, corporate videos, and advertising. It will then be crucial to determine the intended medium – how do you plan to showcase your company’s history in an informative, inspiring, and engaging manner? If utilising an extensive archival collection, the organisation and digitization of selected documents and photographs would make the company’s history easily accessible to both employees and the general public, expanding its reach and exposure. This could be executed through a digital book or an interactive website timeline. Depending on available resources, physical objects and spaces like brochures, books, exhibitions, and murals can also serve as important mementos, which can help preserve corporate histories.

Listed below are a few examples of company anniversary celebrations. We have included projects from our own portfolios, as well as examples from corporations who have recently celebrated milestone anniversaries in fun and innovative ways.

HSBC 150th Anniversary Celebration

To mark its 150th anniversary, HSBC issued a unique HKD150 commemorative banknote and curated a museum exhibition to showcase their significant presence in the city and how they each have grown together over time. Featuring various images of iconic landmarks sourced from HSBC’s own archives, the note commemorates the bank’s establishment in 1865 and is a symbol of HSBC’s deeply rooted legacy in Hong Kong and its evolution. It also serves as a gesture of gratitude to the community, with all proceeds from note purchases donated to local charities.

In collaboration with the Museum Director, History Ink Director Helen Swinnerton co-led the creation and delivery of HSBC’s exhibition at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum – “Our City, Our Stories,” highlighting its close relationship with the city and the contributions of its people shown through artefacts from the bank’s extensive archives and narratives from the diverse communities of Hong Kong.

AS Watson Group’s 180th Anniversary

Starting as a small local dispensary, the AS Watson Group in Hong Kong has grown into the world’s largest health and beauty retailer. For their 180th anniversary, they released a digital book highlighting their history of love for their customers, featuring loving moments and touching stories over the years, accompanied by archival photographs, posters, documents, old advertisements, and calendars.

Arnholds: China Trader

In this lavishly illustrated testament to the more than 150-year-old Arnholds trading company, History Ink Director Vaudine England was able to offer a new window on turbulent times. Three men from northern Germany founded a silk company in 1866 in Hong Kong, which then rode the waves of the China trade, adapting to survive. It moved into machinery and high technology and now specialises in building products, continuing to trade through revolutions, wars, the growth of the West’s nineteenth century empires, and technological change. Drawing from collections such as the London Metropolitan Archives and the National Archives, the publication, Arnholds: China Trader, authored by Vaudine England, unveils the company’s extensive history, timed for release on its 150th anniversary.

Boots Heritage Website Timeline

As they celebrate their 175th year, Boots, UK’s leading health and beauty retailer, created  a scrolling timeline which traces the development of its business from the mid 1800s to their standing as a modern global brand. The website includes archival photographs, advertisements, and posters, providing informative details of their storied past.

Tai Ping Carpets

In 2016, Tai Ping Carpets – an industry leader in custom carpet craftsmanship – commissioned a coffee table book to celebrate its 60th anniversary. This beautifully illustrated book tells not only the story of an individual company, but also reveals the extraordinary development of Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region since the Second World War. ‘Tai Ping Carpets – An Artisan Tradition since 1956’ was written by History Ink Director Amelia Allsop working closely with the Tai Ping team.

Megan Lee
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