Whirlpool Centennial Anniversary

Anniversary Programs and Publications Foster Unity for Employees Worldwide 

Whirlpool, the multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, needed to retool its previously America-centric corporate narrative. Whirlpool already had a strong, recognizable brand throughout the world, but its anniversary provided an opportunity to articulate the brand’s position in the international marketplace, helping reinforce Whirlpool as a unified global organization. History Factory was engaged to provide the tools and resources needed to help Whirlpool tell this larger story.

History Factory archivists worked alongside archivists at the Whirlpool Corporation Archives Museum to organize stories, artifacts, symbols and images from Whirlpool employees after an international discovery program. The collected materials were used to help inform the Whirlpool anniversary initiatives, including a story bank and the centerpiece of the anniversary: a coffee table publication titled “A Century of Achievement—A New Century of Opportunity.” The collaboration also fueled an international employee training program. 

The story bank and archive came together to equip Whirlpool communications teams around the world with a content bank for use throughout the centennial year and beyond, informing the “Dare to Dream” centennial theme and other tactical applications. Through a cohesive anniversary program, Whirlpool came out of its anniversary year with a new global focus. Its centennial was the ideal time to reinforce and articulate the global Whirlpool brand, and Whirlpool finished the year ready to enter its next century of progress as a unified global enterprise.