Employer Branding: is it shit?
Written by
Chris
With a passion for strategy, planning and behavioural insight, Chris has been building brands and activating them across multiple journeys for over 20 years. He thrives on collaboration with ambitious people and brands that believe in the power of a big idea.
https://www.marketingweek.com/employer-branding-can-do-real-harm-so-stop-it/
From a branding perspective I can understand his concerns - there are some have-a-go-heroes out there in HR departments concocting things that make their brand agency wake up screaming in the middle of the night. And that can do real damage - pulling in different directions, diluting or even straight up contradicting the brand strategy you invested millions in nurturing.
That said though... I think this might be an example of our glorious vocation living in a media industry bubble - and missing the point a little. At the very core of this there are a very different set of priorities and issues driving Employer Branding. Businesses, in their search for talent, are desperately battling problems that span all industries - the cost of a bad hire, the importance of fit and the role of culture. It's fundamentally changed the dynamic between employee and employer.
A report from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) found that a poor hire can cost a business more than £132,000 due to the accumulation of costs relating to training, lost productivity, lack of innovation, team motivation etc. This problem is endemic - and specifically so in our own industry... Who hasn't got a story to tell on this?
As marketeers and creatives we spend our time unravelling complex business issues, and so we certainly have a role to play in helping clients combat this. And that almost definitely will be at a brand level.
At its heart an effective employer brand is all about setting and managing an expectation of culture. It's not just about creating a destination to entice people in - it's about discouraging the people who won't work. That means the key word here is honesty. Not relentless, directionless, grinning positivity. And I think that's where some employer brands fall down. There's no substance, honesty or meaning behind it.
And let's face it, in reality your consumer facing brand should be an extension of the culture, values and deep beliefs of your business in the first place. So if your employer brand is so far away from your wider brand strategy then one of them is wrong.
Maybe the real point here is to make a clear differentiation between Employer Value Proposition (EVP) and Shit Employer Value Proposition (SEVP). One of which I wholeheartedly agree is a problem! Or maybe I've been drinking the Kool-Aid...
Effective EVPs are ruthlessly honest, meaningful and bold. They are communicated by actions, and interactions, that reinforce them - not by happy corporate stock imagery and wall vinyls.
The problem is that no single business delivers this well. An HR focus understands the business need, but is unable to truly understand brand engagement. Whilst an agency more often than not is too focused on high level brand strategy to understand its wider business application beyond consumers.
I think the creative industry needs to better engage HR to create meaningful brand strategies - and it's this collaboration that will create real engagement that adds value to all corners of a brand.
So is Employer branding all a bit shit? It's like my toddler holding a marker pen - dangerous and costly in the wrong hands, but actually an essential tool...
Oh and BTW, we don't offer SEVP... if you're after that I'm sure Mark Ritson can point you in the right direction. But do give us a call if you want great, meaningful and collaborative EVP.