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Archives for November 2011

Social Media: Extending and Connecting the Recruitment Conversation

This is the third in a series of three interviews focused on careers, employer brand and social media: Paul (Corporate Eye CEO) interviews Matthew Berry, Resourcing Director at Centrica.

Often there’s a gap – particularly for graduates – between the time of recruitment, and the first day of work. How do you keep that relationship fresh?

And then again, at the end of employment: how can you keep communication channels open?

In this interview, Matt Berry explains how social media can be used to extend the conversation at both ends—and, indeed, to connect/reconnect employees with the company:

“alumni and onboarding… there’s a lot of potential, and the reason is that these networks are about relationships and communicating, and that’s what these tools are for. They’re designed to build a network and to communicate with people.

“the key in all of this: it’s about initiating a conversation. It’s still got to be a quality conversation

“with social media—and this is something that a lot of people underestimate—you must constantly turn the handle to engage”

Paul and Matthew talk about Centrica’s experience of extending relationships with candidates, employees and alumni through social recruiting techniques… do listen, this interview is crammed full of insight and information about how one of the largest companies in the UK manage social media recruitment.

I’ve broken the interview down into smaller pieces, so that you can quickly find particular points you’d like to hear about. I’ve also included the whole interview and a transcript.

Part 1: Social media and recruitment

Key topics:

  • Facebook, interns and graduates
  • LinkedIn, professional hires and the advantages of being a direct recruiter
  • targeting on LinkedIn
  • importance of investing in skilled social media people

Soundbites:

“We have up to 500,000 applicants per annum… so trying to find a simple way of getting messages out to that fairly large audience is not easy, but social media lends itself very nicely to that”

“‘RateMyPlacement’, for example, is very important around the summer placement in the intern programmes because via that feedback and word of mouth via our participants we are building a reputation in delivering a great work experience. We encourage all our summer placement to leave their views on those ratings sites…”

“one of the big benefits we see in LinkedIn is that certainly half to three quarters of anyone [professional hires] that we would hire is already on it”

“when we do our executive recruitment [LinkedIn] would be the place we start no matter what”

“social media doesn’t just happen. It is an interactive thing by its nature and it needs some skilled people to really get full advantage from it”

“We have our applicant tracking system … linked in to Facebook, so you can physically tap into any job in our organisation in the UK from our Facebook page”

[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/matt-berry-interview-pt-1.mp3] Length: 19:18
Download: Matthew Berry interview: part 1

Part 2: Social media and onboarding

Key topics:

  • social media and decision-making
  • using social media for support
  • control, pragmatism and the front line

Soundbites:

“it’s about trying to put information where people are already… our graduates, four or five years ago, were creating a Centrica 2007 intake Facebook page. We didn’t. And we couldn’t stop it if we wanted”

“so we just started tapping into that, giving them a framework… we’ll have induction days which we completely schedule via these groups, and they communicate, talk and support each other”

“one of the things we’ve recently built is an onboarding site, specifically for anyone that joins our business the moment they say ‘Yes, I’d love the job’. And one of the key things there is linking people into our social network”

“we can’t stop people saying what they say anyway but at least we know what’s being said, which is of huge benefit”

[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/matt-berry-interview-pt-2.mp3] Length: 5:49
Download: Matthew Berry interview: part 2

Part 3: Social media and alumni

Key topics

  • risks and niche knowledge
  • maintaining relationships with talent
  • sharing internal information with alumni

Soundbites:

“We’ve got some demographic challenges where we have to think a bit more flexibly about how do we capture some of that talent”

“not to have some mechanism to keep in touch is a bit of a risk, particularly where some of these individuals have such niche knowledge that’s very hard to replace”

“we’ll always be doing projects or elements of work that will still be of interest to that professional community”

[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/matt-berry-interview-pt-3.mp3] Length: 6:39
Download: Matthew Berry interview: part 3

Part 4: Social media and referral recruiting

Key topics:

  • social-media-enabling the referral process
  • tracking and transparency
  • engaging internally to get people to embrace it

Soundbites:

“social media is an underestimated tool for referral programmes”

“It’s not how do we engage the external marketplace, it’s how do we engage the internal marketplace”

“we make sure that any role we have running an internal person can look at it and within […] two clicks they can share that job with their friends. So you could send me a link […] and I could apply straight away, and that would also help the business track the fact that you were the person that had introduced me”

“the external team now handles all internal recruitment as well… that team is now directly talking to all of these candidates. We would have 5-10,000 applications internally per annum, so we’re making sure that we’re the hub of all that communication”

[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/matt-berry-interview-pt-4.mp3] Length: 5:28
Download: Matthew Berry interview: part 4

Part 5: Social recruitment governance

Key topics:

  • social media policies, freedom and message control
  • presenting a coherent front to the external candidate world
  • avoiding the cold-call scenario
  • merging of the social media and recruitment platforms

Soundbites:

“we have a social media policy of course which is a fairly straightforward thing […] social media is part of everyone’s lives. Use it but use your common sense”.

“The big challenge with social media – or one of them – is that if you don’t keep your content relevant and fresh and up-to-date then there’s no reason for anyone to look at anything that you’re doing”

“it’s about the engagement activity that would get you interested to come in rather than pushing hard to push opportunities at people”

“Businesses will have to get more mature in the social media space, which is going to take a little bit of time. I think it’s an opportunity to make the process a bit more engaging. But I don’t think it’s going to make life easier.”

[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/matt-berry-interview-pt-5.mp3] Length: 8:24
Download: Matthew Berry interview: part 5

Here’s the whole interview, in case you’d rather listen to it end-to-end; and the transcript, for those who prefer to read.

[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/matt-berry-interview-full.mp3] Length: 45:39
Download: Matthew Berry interview (whole interview)
Download: Transcript

Many thanks to Matthew for taking the time to talk to Paul.

Who were we speaking to?

Matthew Berry started his career as a chemical engineer in the steel industry covering a number of operational, technical and management positions.

With a desire for travel, Matthew moved from Australia to the UK and worked as a Search and Selection consultant for European energy and process industries.

For the past 8 years, Matthew has worked with Centrica in a number of HR roles and is currently Resourcing Director for the Centrica Group.

Coca-Cola Launches National QR Code Program in the United States

Together, Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Federation are are finding creative ways to raise awareness about the conservation efforts taking place to help polar bears in the Arctic. Using a QR Code, an iPad and iPhone app, and Facebook, Coca-Cola has created a social game complete with prizes (including iPads) and a cause marketing connection.

Consumers can join the game by visiting a local 7-Eleven store where they can scan the QR code on cups in the store to download the Snowball Effect by Coca-Cola app to their iPhones or iPads. The app is also available in the iTunes store. Once the app is installed and connected to Facebook, players can start playing the entertaining snowball-throwing game.

The game is actually very simple. The more you play, the bigger your snowball gets and the better you can protect the polar bear’s home in the game. that means more points and better chances for prizes. Alternately, players can become members of 7-Eleven’s Slurpee Rewards program to get additional points by scanning QR codes on select Coca-cola product packaging.

7-Eleven will award the eight iPad prizes each week to players with the highest cumulative scores. After the final week of the campaign, eight randomly selected players will each get an iPad and the single player with the highest cumulative score will win a trip for 2 to the Arctic to see polar bears in their natural habitat.

Players can play alone in a practice mode, challenge their Facebook friends, or accept challenges from others, which adds a social element to the game. There is also a link in the app that leads directly to the World Wildlife Federation page where players can donate money to help with polar bear conservation. Coca-Cola will match all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $1 million.

The reviews for the app and game from players are positive so far, and the campaign is generating a lot of buzz. That’s great for Coca-Cola, 7-Eleven, the World Wildlife Federation, and polar bears!

Dubbed the Arctic Home campaign, this is a great example of how multiple brands can work together to create a meaningful social media campaign that integrates online and offline marketing as well as cause marketing strategies. Kudos to Coca-Cola, 7-Eleven, and the World Wildlife Federation for getting it right.

What do you think of the Arctic Home campaign? Love it or hate it? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Image: Slurpee.com

Brand Messages Must Connect with College Students Faster Than Ever

A study conducted by CourseSmart of U.S. college students who own mobile devices reveals some important insights to brands who are trying to market to this fast-moving audience.

According to the study, 93% of the survey respondents own a laptop and 47% own a smartphone. Just 7% own and ereader and another 7% own an iPad. Of course, iPad sales are expected to double in 2012, so these numbers are likely to look completely different a year from now. However, the data in the study will be no less valuable to brands.

The study included 18-25 year olds, and 84% of the audience claimed that they use two or more mobile devices at the same time while simultaneously watching television. For example, a student might be doing homework on a laptop, texting with a friend on her mobile phone, and watching television — all at the same time. Specifically, the breakdown of responses follows (via eMarketer):

  • 36% use a mobile phone and laptop while watching television.
  • 25% use a mobile phone, laptop, and iPad while watching television.
  • 19% use a mobile phone, laptop, iPad, and more while watching television.
  • 17% use a mobile phone while watching television.
  • 3% use no devices while watching television.

Clearly, these students will make excellent multi-taskers when they enter the workforce! All joking aside, there is an important takeaway for brand marketers that can be gleaned from this data. It is extremely difficult to cut through the existing noise and clutter surrounding U.S. college students who own mobile devices. They choose the majority of this noise and clutter, so brands have a challenge in front of them. Stealing a snippet of time from this audience away from the many messages they are bombarded with continually by choice is a monumental task. And it’s very likely that these study results are the same for college students in other countries as well.

Therefore, brands have to create marketing campaigns that capture the attention and cut through the noise instantly. Furthermore, this is an audience that knows brands are trying to sell something to them, and they have no patience for the slow-build up or veiled messages. Get to the point and deliver your best message first! The audience will decide if they like what your best message is, but they won’t stick around to listen to you talk about how great your brand is with the hope that your ultimate message will be worth the wait. By the time you get your message out, they’ve already moved on to a third, fourth, or fifth device, activity, and conversation.

Image: Flickr

New Ivory Soap Logo and Ad Campaign Demonstrates the Power of Brand Focus

Ivory soap debuted in 1879 as an American soap to compete against expensive, luxury soaps from Europe. For nearly a century, Ivory soap has used a tagline (in one variation or another) that identifies Ivory as 99.44% pure — so pure, it floats! A logo refresh, new package design, and ad campaign created by Wieden+Kennedy, was intended to reinforce consumers’ focus on the pure message in a clean and simple way.

First up, the new logo is certainly simple as you can see in the image below. Honestly, it seems too generic, but where this brand refresh shines is in the advertising creative.

According to the description of the brand refresh on the Wieden+Kennedy website:

“The inspiration for this campaign came from the observation of how, over the years, in an effort to make life simpler, we have somehow made life more complicated. Taking a humorous look at what are called “Ivoryisms” – these honest truths include a series of simple and straightforward messages that reintroduce Ivory’s perspective on keeping things clean and simple.”

You can see some of those “Ivoryisms” in the print ad samples below.

 

 

These bold and simple messages are excellent. They capture people’s attention and represent things people can relate directly to in their own lives. There is no doubt that the “loofah” ad above will strike a chord with a specific target market (for example, men). Another hits people where it counts — their wallets, and a third is likely to resonate with audiences who don’t like overly-fragrant soaps that smell like perfumes.

The video element of the advertising campaign is equally simple. Again, the Ivoryisms take center stage with no visual distractions or cluttered messaging. Two samples are included below.

Focused brands are powerful brands, so it makes sense that Ivory would contract its brand focus to its original brand promise of purity. That clean and simple message says it all, and in today’s overflowing soap aisle at the supermarket, a pure, clean, and simple soap is just what many customers are looking for.

What do you think of the Ivory brand refresh?

Images: WK.com

Why Produce a Corporate Video?

This is a guest post from David Seay, who has over 25 years experience of producing videos, commercials and television programming, and is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. He has produced hundreds of corporate videos, training videos and a full complement of videos for business.

Over to you, David…

———

Why Produce a Corporate Video?

My sales are good. Our customer feedback is positive. We’re getting new clients. Why on earth should I spend money on a corporate video?

At first glance you might not think a video is right for you, but it probably is. In 25 years of working with corporate marketing departments, I have yet to see a company who has not benefited from using video.

Video has always been the best vehicle to define image, demonstrate your products, and give voice to satisfied customers. Today we live in a hyper-connected world. Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook, LinkedIn, and countless others are words we never knew five years ago. Now they are essential everyday tools marketers use to connect with customers and prospects, and they all leverage video.

If you had to sum up this brave new world of marketing and inter-connectedness in a single word, that word would be: MESSAGING. That messaging comes from all sources: customers, and competitors, independent reviewers, you yourself. It is essential that you control the messaging about your company, or someone else probably will. Video persuades, motivates, and brands better than any other medium. Since the majority of people prefer to watch video rather than reading pages, it is more important than ever to leverage your messaging with video content.

When you decide to use video, use a professional producer; this is absolutely NOT a do-it-yourself project. So many homespun videos just reek of unprofessionalism and unless you are an experienced producer/director (10 to 15 productions minimum), leave it to someone who is. Don’t worry, you will still be very involved with the production.

Producing a marketing, sales or training video for your company may seem overwhelming. Here are a few things you’ll need to think about in advance:

  • the message you want to communicate
  • who your audience is
  • where they’ll be watching the video (on the web? On a DVD? At a live event?)
  • quality: what level of production values you need
  • your budget and deadlines
  • an outline for the content of the video
  • approval for use of graphics, products, logos
  • legal clearances
  • and location options if shooting will take place at your office

Make sure you choose an experienced production company; specialist corporate producers will know about using video for business, branding and social media. Agree a production schedule with them to cover the major phases of production (pre-production, scripting, location shooting, video editing, sound sweetening, DVD authoring, duplication, and delivery).

Cost: A simple Internet video of about a minute or so in length can be as little as 1,500 USD. It may sound like a lot, but it takes time, and what you are really buying is experience. A producer who knows what they are doing can maximize a budget to get you the most bang for the buck—and do it quickly.

Once shooting is complete, the video editor will combine the video, audio and graphics to create a rough cut; you’ll review the rough cut and agree any changes needed before it goes into final production.

And you’ll then be able to add video to your suite of tools to help promote your corporate messages.

Video works. Use it.

———

Thanks, David!

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area
www.davidseayproductions.com

Google and Apple Keep Stealing Market Share from RIM (and All the Rest)

Things aren’t looking good for Research in Motion (RIM) as far as the smartphone market is concerned. Recently, comScore released data related to the U.S. smartphone market that paints a grim picture for the maker of BlackBerry.

According to comScore, Google and Apple continue to steal market share from competitors in the smartphone market, namely RIM, Microsoft, and Symbian in the United States.

Check out the numbers below to see how these competitors fared in the fight for market share between June 2011 to September 2011:

  • Google: 44.8% market share (up 4.6%)
  • Apple: 27.4% market share (up 0.8%)
  • RIM: 18.9% market share (down 4.6%)
  • Microsoft: 5.6% market share (down 0.2%)
  • Symbian: 1.8% market share (down 0.2%)

There is no doubt which brands are dominating the smartphone market, and it seems unlikely that this trend will change anytime soon. For companies and brands looking to pursue mobile marketing initiatives, this data is very important. It tells you which platforms to focus on for exposure to more of the 234 million Americans over the age of 13 who own smartphones.

However, there is more to this story than smartphone platform market share. comScore also keeps track of the activities that people engage in with their smartphones. The number of mobile subscribers using their smartphones for more than just making phone calls continues to increase as the data below shows:

  • Sent text message to another phone: 71.1% of mobile subscribers as of September 2011 (up 1.5% from June 2011)
  • Used browser: 42.9% of mobile subscribers (up 2.8%)
  • Used downloaded apps: 42.5% of mobile subscribers (up 3.0%)
  • Accessed social networking site or blog: 31.5% of mobile subscribers (up 2.4%)
  • Played games: 28.8% of mobile subscribers (up 1.9%)
  • Listened to music on mobile phone: 20.9% (up 1.9%)

The fastest growing mobile activities according to this study are using downloaded apps, using a web browser, and accessing social networking sites or blogs. Get out your creative thinking caps, because there are opportunities waiting for you to promote your brand via mobile marketing.

Mobile apps, mobile-friendly websites, Facebook pages, and brand blogs are just a few ways you could be connecting with the active mobile audience. Their mobile engagement is only going to continue to grow, so you need to make sure your brand is mobile before it’s too late!

Image: Flickr