What is Employer Branding? Some great examples
There is a lot of noise about employer branding in both the PR and HR community - but what is employer branding, anyway?
What is employer branding?
Employer branding involves getting your core employer values and culture right, then working with PR to communicate these values effectively. Brands that get this right become a ‘destination employer’, improving their hiring process and gaining good PR for the company.
Here’s some brilliant examples we’ve seen of employer branding:
Employer branding example: how Burns Pet Nutrition uses benefits and culture to drive hires
West Wales employer Burns Pet Nutrition have an unusual talent problem – their HR Manager gets stopped in the supermarket aisles to be asked about jobs. Of course, as a leading animal food brand, the company want to attract animal lovers.
Alongside higher than average pay, excellent holiday and great training, pet-loving employees are attracted to the free daytime kennels offered as a perk. The kind-hearted owner also donates generously to many UK animal rescues – put simply, the brand’s values of caring for pets apply through everything they do – and this makes pet-lovers want to work for them. Learn more
Employer branding example: How the NHS Best of Both Worlds campaign overcame a shortage of medical talent by highlighting what matters to employees
Employer branding sometimes involves thinking outside the box – especially when issues driving low applications are out of your control.
Vacancies for nurses and midwives are increasing year on year, while applications are dropping by 12.2%, with many leaving the profession due to a poor work/life balance. Northamptonshire tackled these recruitment challenges with a ‘Best of Both Worlds’ campaign, highlighting how their region offered a better work/life balance than many of the UK’s big cities, while offering excellent opportunities for career development. Learn More
Employer branding example: how Groupon reduced recruitment cost per applicant to just £9 by harnessing Glassdoor Reviews
Glassdoor is an open employer feedback forum, where employees can leave anonymous feedback about their employer. Groupon noticed its Glassdoor page was getting 11 times more traffic than the most popular networking platform – and changed their content on Glassdoor, reflecting their values and culture. Result? the company doubled the number of qualified applicants and reduced their cost-per-applicant to just £9. Learn more
Employer branding example: How Marriott Hotels use their existing Employees to drive hires
Often your best advocates for your company are your existing employees – and their stories can be used to build your employer brand. Marriott International created a careers recruitment page on an Instagram page, Marriott Careers, where they often feature employee testimonials – it’s proved successful and engagement continues to increase. Learn More
Employer ‘re-branding’ example: How Mcdonalds used employer branding to turn negative perceptions of the ‘McJob’ on it’s head
There’s a long PR tradition of ‘owning’ nicknames, even the bad ones. Since the 1980s, entry-level jobs at McDonald's, ‘McJobs; were perceived as low paying, dead end jobs with poor prospects. In reality, McDonalds’ staff enjoy extensive training and development and many enjoy a long-term and mutually rewarding career - some even have company cars.
Result? The company turned the ‘McJob’ image around, using employee stories, focusing on benefits, flexible working opportunities, paid training and free food, all followed by taglines like ‘not bad for a McJob’. Learn More
Employer branding example: How Netflix’s headline grabbing parental leave policy started a chain reaction in Silicon Valley
Retention is as important as talent attraction - in some industries, the competition is harder than others. In 2015, Netflix announced a new policy of unlimited parental leave in the first year to new parents, alongside unlimited annual leave for salaried employees – just as the hot young talent the firm was built on was needing a new type of support. The policy was quickly matched by other Silicon Valley employers and generated much publicity for the company. Read More
Employer branding example: How Audi’s clever use of advertising grabbed PR headlines for their company values and stole the show at the Superbowl
In a male-dominated, masculine sports event, Audi delivered a masterclass in employer branding with a clever advert highlighting gender inequality from a father’s perspective. Delivered at the heart of the NFL Superbowl in 2017, the ad continues to be talked about today – with the subtle message that Audi support equal opportunities – and so do Audi drivers. It remains one of the most talked about adverts in years, keeping the brand in the news for months. Learn More
Employer branding example – how GE repositioned themselves to snare digital talent
GE is one of the oldest firms in the US and needed to reposition to attract digital talent in a world full of hot tech start ups. Their ‘what’s the matter with Owen’ campaign was a perfect way to tell customers and talent alike that they were at the forefront of the tech world. Learn more
Could your company be next?
Employer branding can be as simple as communicating all the great things you are doing already. PR in HR is what we do. If you need any advice, or just a chat, we’re here to help.