How to cultivate a successful employer brand

Virgin’s Amy Sawbridge describes it as the “common, red thread” that binds her organisation’s 60 operating companies across 30 countries, “loose enough to allow each of the businesses to interpret it in an effective way.” Microsoft’s Paul Davies says it should be “derivative of the company brand” while Accenture’s Emma Tolhurst insists it must be a “consistent” and “end-to-end” experience.

Consultant Neil Harrison sees it as “a long-term strategic investment in the way talent audiences think about an organisation and what it’s like to work there.” EA’s Derren Young and Laura Weston of communications agency Golin share a belief that, at its heart, it must be “authentic”.

There are a number of ways to capture the essence of a great employer brand, its many essential traits and characteristics. For some, they know it when they see it. For others, it’s imperative to define and measure what success looks like. And while the merit of employer brand is generally appreciated, it remains far from embedded in the culture of most organisations.

In an effort to understand further what senior professionals in marketing and human resources think
about employer branding, Carter Murray and Frazer Jones commissioned some research putting the same series of questions to those in both functions.

In this paper, we’ll use these findings and more to explore the biggest issues in employer branding today – from purpose and ownership to the role of the c-suite, commercial impact and key performance indicators (KPIs). And we’ll hear from those at the sharp end: employer brand practitioners from Accenture, EA, Golin, Microsoft and Virgin.

View our new and exclusive report 'How to cultivate a successful employer brand' here, featuring expert opinion from leading HR and Marketing professionals: Paul Davies - Microsoft, Derren Young - Electronic Arts (EA), Amy Sawbridge - Virgin, Emma Tolhurst - Accenture, Laura Weston - Golin and Neil Harrison - NH237 Consulting Ltd.