Back
Now we’re back amongst it after the festive break, here at TMP Worldwide, we took the time to reflect on some of our favourite employer branding work of 2023. What we loved about it, and crucially the lessons it taught us or reminded us about that we can capitalise on in 2024.
Employer Branding: The Circle Health Group shakes things up
Immerse yourself in healthcare recruitment communications and you’ll see a lot of the same style of work over and over again. Kindly staff helping frail patients. Doctors, nurses and other colleagues being great team-mates. And so on. Vanilla is an understandable outcome in often complex, political organisations with many stakeholders.
But branding is about standing out from the crowd and nobody was standing out. Until Circle Health Group came along.
They wanted to be brave; we wanted them to be brave. ‘Resist the ordinary’ is that.
An inspiring call for health professionals to work differently, kicking back against sector conventions, delivering an optimistic message to people battered and bruised by Covid.
The visual approach matched this language. Out went the tungsten-lit ward photography, and in came a vibrant, dynamic 3D avatar campaign. Contemporary, unexpected, precise, and carrying an unmistakable swagger.
What we loved: A client determined to swerve the conventions of their sector and do something brave.
What we learned: A great idea is only as good as the passion, precision and teamwork you pour into its execution
Risk is good. Herts Care go counter intuitive and win big
Surprise goes a long way in employer branding. You wouldn’t expect a recruitment campaign for adult social care professionals under the banner ‘Risk is good’. But that’s what we created with Herts Care.
It was all based on the organisation’s determination that people with disabilities and learning difficulties should be free to take risks and live full lives just like everyone else. The outcome is a campaign of colour, energy and positivity, and we were delighted to see it win RMA Campaign of the Year.
What we loved: Going to market with a counter-intuitive position and watching it make waves.
What we learned: Even in an incredibly crowded market, you can find a way to stand out. And rewarding the determination to do so.
Extraordinary stories from Westminster City Council
Organisations that trust their employees to lead their employer brand, without micromanaging what gets said and how, tend to triumph. Westminster City Council is a great example. They allowed their people to tell stories of loss and grief, triumphs over the odds, inspiring the disaffected, of those fighting for the communities, and so much more.
The message to candidates was that Westminster is where extraordinary stories get written. Candidates loved it and so did the RADs judges.
What we loved: An organisation willing to give its people the freedom to tell moving, authentic, personal stories.
What we learned: Employee profile films don’t have to be the ‘bread and butter’ of employer branding. The right human stories have real emotional power.
Employer Branding: The Heathrow Airport Security Officer portal goes from strength to strength
They best just work beautifully, delivering to candidates exactly what they need. The Heathrow Airport Security Officer portal is a case in point.
This film-led digital platform, handheld candidates through every stage of application and assessment. It’s full of guidance, advice, insights, information and support. Allowing Heathrow Airport to recruit more Security Officers – of a better quality, at a faster rate and at a more competitive cost – than ever before. And the feedback from candidates was great – even those who were unsuccessful.
Great solutions don’t have to be loud and flashy.
What we loved: Seeing a solution that was strategy- and content-driven really work.
What we learned: A great candidate experience is worth its weight in gold.
In uncharted territory. The Maersk warehouse
Changing audience perceptions is one of the hardest things to do in employer branding. So it’s great when organisations throw everything at doing so and work in close partnership with us. Maersk are known all over the world for moving goods across vast oceans. But now they are moving into the warehousing business.
How to get people in this sector to mark Maersk out as career destination? Jettison the seriousness you’re known for and create a welcoming campaign that raises a smile. Lovely job.
What we loved: Seeing an organisation known for being serious and sober, launch a campaign with a playful edge to it.
We learned: That the best work happens when the agency and client collaborate at every stage of the project.
That’s just a canter through a few projects that made 2023 a good year and set us up for 2024. Welcome back!
