✨ From firefighting to accusations of being a cost centre. You’re not the problem — the system is ✨

In this punchy partner piece, we introduce the People Impact Loop™: a strategic shift that puts marketing, design and business alignment at the heart of L&D — and proves impact from day one

You’ve built the platform. Curated the content. Launched the campaign. And still… silence.

Low engagement. Vague outcomes. Stakeholders giving you that look that says, “What exactly do you do again?” You’re not alone. And you’re not the problem.

The real issue? We’ve been trained to believe that launching learning = job done.

But that shiny e-learning module, that LMS you just rolled out, that beautifully branded programme – it’s only half the work. The other half? It’s the bit that actually makes it work.

The People Impact Loop is our answer to that missing piece. A strategic operating system that embeds marketing thinking, product design, and business alignment into the entire learning lifecycle – not just at the end when it’s too late.

And it changes everything.

From good intentions to great impact

L&D is brimming with good intentions. But intentions don’t move the dial.

In a landscape of shrinking budgets and mounting pressure, we’ve seen a worrying trend: L&D becoming a bolt-on to HR or Talent, seen as a cost centre rather than a driver of strategic value. That’s not because L&D doesn’t care. It’s because the system is broken.

Too often, learning products are created in a vacuum, disconnected from business strategy, and cobbled together with legacy content, outdated assumptions, and very little user insight. And then comes the call to “make it engaging” with a bit of marketing.

But by that point, it’s too late. Even the best campaign can’t save a substandard product. So, we decided to rethink the entire system.

Introducing the People Impact Loop

This isn’t just another L&D framework. It’s a strategic shift. A flywheel, not a hamster wheel. A GPS in a world of guesswork.

The People Impact Loop™ (or The PIL™, if you’re in the #PineappleArmy) is a cyclical, insight-led model that reshapes how L&D, HR, Talent and People teams work. It embeds marketing, product thinking and business alignment into the entire lifecycle of learning and People initiatives.

There are five stages — and believe it or not, marketing is only one of them.

Let’s break it down:

Step 1:  Gather employee and business insights

You start with what your people need and what the business wants. These are rarely the same thing. Research gives you the real data to design learning that is desirable, relevant and valuable. No more guesswork. No more knee-jerk responses to stakeholder requests.

Step 2: Strategic business alignment

Your initiatives must align to strategic goals. What is your business trying to achieve this year? Growth? Transformation? Retention? Your learning offer should be a lever, not a sideshow. If it’s not aligned, it’s not going to make an impact.

Step 3: Employee experience design

Here’s where we refine (or in many cases, cull) the learning offer. If you wouldn’t pay for it as an employee, why are you building it? Design learning like a product – with a focus on user experience, fit for purpose, and built to serve both people and business.

Step 4: Employee engagement and campaigns

Now, and only now, do we market it. Not a campaign slapped on at the end. A strategic approach that positions learning clearly, consistently, and with purpose. Marketing isn’t just promotion – it’s storytelling, activation and brand building.

Step 5: Measure impact and boost value

Because we started with clear goals and strong alignment, we can prove value. We gather data, evidence outcomes and refine our approach. This creates a loop – feeding insight back into the system, creating momentum and building credibility.

Why this matters

L&D is in the midst of a gargantuan identity crisis. Stakeholders don’t understand what we do. Learners don’t see the value. And we’re stuck firefighting requests with little strategic control. The People Impact Loop™ gives you back your compass.

It helps you focus. It puts your people at the heart of everything. It gives you a way to speak the language of the business, and finally prove that learning drives results.

And your learners? They get experiences that actually help them – designed with their context, constraints and reality in mind.

This is not a quick fix

This is not another model to decorate your slide decks. It’s a mindset shift. A strategic operating system. A call to arms.

But it’s also a movement.

We believe L&D — and all People functions — deserve better. We believe you deserve to lead with confidence. To push back with data. To say no when something doesn’t align.

Ready to redefine the role of learning in your business?

If the People Impact Loop™ resonates with you — if you’re ready to stop firefighting and start building a learning function that delivers real, measurable impact — we’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you get started.

Inside, you’ll learn how to:

• Understand what your business actually needs from L&D
  
• Conduct meaningful audience research
  
• Refine and enhance your learning offer
  
• Activate it with strategic marketing
  
• And finally, prove the value of learning with confidence

Download the guide and take your first step towards transforming L&D into the strategic powerhouse it was always meant to be. Let’s stop building learning nobody wants. Let’s start creating experiences that matter.