Engineering, But Make It Interesting: The RS BAU Story

We’ve worked with RS for years. But last year, alongside Robbie Dunion, their Head of Global Social Media, we made a conscious decision to try and push things further across their corporate social channels. There were two central reasons that drove this shift and change in direction. The first, a desire to continue to do things differently from the rest of the sector and their traditional B2B competitors. Second, what results might we see if we took a more audience-led approach?

On the surface, this change in direction felt like a subtle tweak in our pre-existing workflows, but in reality led to a much deeper re-evaluation of how we approached everything. Collectively, we reflected upon how ideas were greenlit and asked ourselves whether posting less, might deliver more. Like any good creator, we subscribed to a simple philosophy: if it wasn’t backed by data or insight, or didn’t serve the audience, it was out.

A breakthrough moment occurred very early in our discussions around how we might be able to shift the focus and direction of RS’s social channels, prompted by a statement from Robbie. Put simply, engineering doesn’t have to be boring and its impact on the world can be seen all around us.  

Framed in those simple terms, quickly everything turned into a content opportunity - from a Eurovision stage design to a World Cup stadium there was an engineering story behind it. Needless to say, the creative floodgates didn’t take long to open. Sports, music, architecture, film all became fair game. We didn’t need to stay in the lane of ‘products and parts.’ We could tell stories that revealed the hidden systems behind the world around us.

 What made this shift so powerful wasn’t just a change in content - it was a change in mindset. We stripped things back to basics and asked a simple question: who is this really for?

RS serves a specialised but diverse set of audiences and their existing personas became creative guides as much as marketing tools.

Our approach now centres on:

• Creating for people, not platforms: Every idea starts with audience insight, not brand messaging
• Bringing brand pillars to life: Reflecting RS’s focus on People, Planet and Progress through human, engaging, scroll-stopping content
• Filtering through one key test: Would our audience care about this? If not, it doesn’t make the feed

From explaining the tech behind the World Cup to spotlighting 3D printing breakthroughs, this focus on relevance and attention has helped every piece of content earn its place.

A big part of this transformation wasn’t just strategic, it was relational.

Collaboration was key as too was the feeling of being an extension of the in-house team. Weekly meetings turned into creative huddles. In-person brainstorms became idea incubators. The client–agency dynamic took on new life, powered through a dynamic and exciting shared vision.

The consequence was a faster, braver and more aligned way of working. We all knew what we were trying to achieve and crucially, why we were trying to achieve it. 

And with that stronger foundation came a new kind of proactive approach to content pitching, our ideation process became more confident. We moved from planning content months in advance, to staying open to moments as they happen. That meant being able to respond to cultural and zeitgeist moments in real time, without overthinking or overproducing.

One of the biggest outputs of this new mindset was RS Explains: a social-first video series designed to decode the world through an engineering lens.

It’s a simple format, but that’s the point. It gives us the creative flexibility to talk about anything, from quantum computing to how electric vehicles actually work, while always serving the same purpose: making engineering feel human.

If what we make content around is flexible, so too is our approach to how content is created. Scripts are written collaboratively. Edits happen fast. It’s agile and efficient - a perfect reflection of how content is made in 2025.

Not every post needs to be a cinematic masterpiece to make an impact. Sometimes, a well-timed meme, reactive moment, or simple visual built around a sharp insight can outperform a video that’s taken days to produce.

Our new approach focuses on efficiency and intent:

• Invest where it matters: Spend time and energy on the content we want to hero.
• Keep it simple: Pair strong ideas with the most accessible, easy-to-understand execution.
• Value speed and clarity: If it clicks within seconds, people stay; if not, they scroll.

By focusing our effort where it truly counts, we’ve made our output sharper, faster and more effective, proving that simplicity often wins on social.

Twelve months in, that ‘less but better’ approach is paying off.

• Posting frequency is down (by design)
  
  
• Reach remains in line with the previous year (despite less posts)
  
  
• Engagements are up
  
  
• Engagement rate has grown significantly over the last year

It proves a simple point: being selective and strategic about what you post doesn’t mean losing reach or engagements.

This past year has shown us that engineering can be as creative as any other sector when you choose to tell the right stories.  

It’s also shown how powerful collaboration can be when both agency and client are aligned. The transparency, the shared ambition and the willingness to experiment has strengthened our output and encouraged us to think about how we can push the envelope of content even further.

Ultimately, our work with RS has seen us embrace a way of working that is more akin to a ‘creative lab’. Our lab is a space where data meets storytelling and where experimentation isn’t just tolerated, but actively encouraged. In a world where every scroll is a competition for attention, the brands that win on social media are the ones who are brave enough to do something different. And that’s exactly what we’re doing with RS - engineering, but make it interesting.

With contributions from: Snow Khine.