The 360 Recruitment Advertising Blog

Last week, David Cameron revealed the government’s decision to cut public sector jobs in an attempt to bring the country out of its current £952 million debt. By 2014, this debt has been calculated to rise to a whooping £1.4 trillion, a serious problem that is going to reap serious consequences.

The solution is to be a raise in tax and a cutting of government spending, including the axing of up to 350,000 public sector jobs. These jobs have always been renowned for their security and for many working in the public sector; the full impact of the recession will not have been felt until now. Is any job ever safe and what should be our concerns when looking for a suitable career?

This axing of jobs has been met with surprise and outrage by many but why? Looking back throughout history it is evident that social change has often affected jobs; creating them, dissolving them and changing them. In trying to solve this country’s debt problem, changes are again going to have to be made.

Due to social change the textiles industry, for example, lost its importance within British industry and had dissolved within two decades. In 1850, this industry had made up 60% of Britain’s exports. In 1959, The Cotton industry Act was introduced in an attempt to help modernize and amalgamate the industry. In fact, it resulted in thousands of job losses and by the 1980’s had signified the extinction of the textile industry in the North West.

Miners Strike, London 1984

Under Margaret Thatcher, both the Mining and the Steel industry suffered many job losses. After 1984, British mines were gradually closed and British steel merged with Dutch steel in 1988. Thatcher believed, ‘no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first’. Privatising industries in the eighties meant that many people became unemployed and although some of these industries have since been nationalised, it is fair to say that in a life time, most will experience the effects of a recession.

History then leads us to question whether we should be training ourselves for just one career or whether we should be trying to obtain many qualifications, to secure ourselves against redundancy. With the Internet becoming more prevalent in society today, it is quite plausible that many more jobs will be lost as society adapts to social change and to technology’s more efficient and speedy service.

Graduates today are having a real problem. Many employers expect evidence of an individual’s commitment to working for a certain industry and work experience is often vital. For example, students that obtain a law degree, studying for a vocational course for a minimum of three years can leave university and have no guarantee of employment, even with respective work experience. In such a competitive society, it is not effective to be suitable for different industries; it is imperative to be focused and trained for one career path. However, from studying history we can see that this is becoming increasingly dangerous in an atmosphere where even the public sector is experiencing a cut in jobs.

Tanya

The Newport Housing Trust (NHT) create housing and lifestyle solutions for the over 60’s. They approached us in June 2009 following a recommendation from another of our housing clients, needing a new corporate identity.

With an ambitious corporate strategy, NHT had plans to expand and develop their business and felt their brand needed to reflect this standpoint.

NHT threw their doors open to us and we spent a few days with key stakeholders, including a variety of staff from all parts and levels of the company as well as valuable insights and opinions from NHT residents.

We conducted interviews and focus groups followed by a tour of the housing stock. We were invited into a home of a rather keen resident who showed around their property. All of this helped us build a clear picture of who NHT were and where they wanted to be.

The next stage was to throw everything we had learned around to build our own strategy to support NHT’s goals. This began with visual and word mood boards which became the starting points for very rough – and I mean very rough – logo designs. So rather than show you lots of scribbles that resemble a psychiatrists exercise, here are a few we did later.

Early logo designs

Designing a corporate ID is a journey of exploration. Not only is it important to develop something that best represents the company, you also need to ensure it works in one colour, through a fax machine, at teeny-weeny sizes and is loved by the Chairperson’s other half. So we kept going…

These designs formed part of our first presentation back to NHT.

This rainbow design was becoming a clear favourite.

All the above were created because of what people had said or said they wanted for the company. And with a company that listened to the residents, we held presentations back to the residents who had kindly taken part in the focus groups.

Now things were becoming interesting. We had a clear favourite but it had to be agreed by the board as well as Resident groups. We had to refine the design and show how it would look across a range of stationery and other print materials.

Final Logo

Tenants Handbook Cover

Once we had a logo and design style signed off, it was essential we put in place a set of guidelines to help NHT produce internal communications that were consistent and a true reflection of the brand values. These were concise and helped give clarity to a new brand that now sits firmly at home within NHT.

Section of Guidelines

Section of Guidelines

Section of Guidelines

As with any new brand, questions will arise and we at 360 are always available to help and advise NHT employees as to how to adopt the guidelines in practical situations.

Mark

What do I do now? This is the question on many graduate’s lips. Exams are well under way, perhaps over, for many of 2010’s finalists, yet the hard work is only just beginning. Many of this years graduate’s will be considering further education or a gap year due to a lack of jobs and a lack of guidance on how to find them.

Before graduation, a student’s life is focused on obtaining the best degree possible. However, recently it has come to light that having a good degree is not all you need to achieve a good job. With so many people graduating from university, a degree is almost becoming worthless. Now experience has also become very important, along with having a ‘unique’ quality to set you out from the standard Joe Blogs.

Graduation day

Many graduates will have never had a clear idea of what career path they want to take. Being sociable, hard working and intelligent many young people can feel potentially valuable to many different companies and industries. However, on graduating it can be extremely difficult to even secure a job interview. The real problem is where to begin? What is important to a graduate looking for a job?

A good wage is obviously very important. With debts often over £20,000, a scheme offering a quick fix to money problems is invaluable. Job security is another crucial factor when looking for a first time employer. Companies with a reputable name are often used extensively on graduate job sites and are more likely to attract ambitious finalists. Obviously benefits and potential to advance within the company or industry are very important to new graduates looking for their first job. As when finding a first house or choosing a potential partner, finding your first ‘real’ job is going to be a daunting and important decision.

Milkround, Targetjobs and Prospects are just a few examples of companies that aim to aid students in their quest of finding the perfect first job. They are extremely helpful, offering advice on CV writing, interview technique and how to best use personal skills, yet they still have a long way to go in attracting students to use their services. With so many possibilities for graduates, companies would benefit from joining graduate jobs fairs, to appeal to students whilst they are still studying their degree. An employee who really believes in a company and has worked specifically towards obtaining a job for such, is going to be an invaluable worker and likely to help the company achieve their future aims.

Of course, another potential way for companies to secure graduate interest would be to enter the domains frequented regularly by students. Social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook are the ideal examples. Sending an invitation to become a ‘fan’ of a company or to join a group, takes seconds to reach thousands and recruiting students to be ambassadors, especially if paid, has proven to be extremely successful in procuring student interest.

Students have young, vivid and vivacious minds and with so many school leavers going to university and obtaining a degree these days, it can only be beneficial to both employer and employee to work for, and with, someone that each truly believe in. Our new, naïve graduates need nourishment and guidance to achieve their full potential, but are employers really doing enough?

Tanya

Towards the end of 2008, we were asked to design and develop an employer brand for RCT Homes. The brief was challenging, budgets tight and timescales set in stone. We couldn’t wait.

Now, 18 months on, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at what we achieved and to give people the opportunity to see what can be accomplished through clear communication between a client and an agency, to reach and better still, go beyond expectations.

At 360º, our philosophy is get to know our client and their needs from day one. We give them a complete brand health check, prodding and poking every part of the business. Sometimes it tickles and sometimes it hurts but by the end of the examination, we know how it ticks and what needs to be delivered.

In RCT Homes’ case, we spent precious time with key stakeholders – everyone from directors to tenants – to highlight the good, the bad and the indifferent about the existing brand. We were introduced to a new set of values and the vision RCT had created, and it’s worth noting that RCT had already been working hard to promote change. So, with hours of video interviews, pages of notes and every piece of existing collateral under our arms, we were in a position to develop the messages needed to build a confident, trusting and focused brand.

Spidergrams were used to work towards a clear proposition.

Thorough and honest investigation is the best way to achieve a clear and strong proposition. We use a proposition to hang every piece of communication on so that everything is consistent and supports the values at every opportunity. We eventually settled on Built on Trust. Now, this proposition isn’t a headline or indeed a line that would appear on any work. It’s role is to act as a barometer for the creative team who use it to give them guidance as they explore avenues to best promote the values of RCT Homes and build the brand.

In terms of straplines, the strongest line of all was We’re better together. This underpinned the objectives of the values as well as being a positive, and inspirational mantra.

We used existing print material to create new designs and developed templates and brand guidelines to show how the look and feel reflected the brand. At this stage, the team had to think clearly about the needs of RCT Homes; how the materials would be used and what the tone of the communication should be. Designing a brand for a diverse workforce needs clarity and a quality that everyone feels comfortable with, notwithstanding the fact that it must all be trusted and embraced as a long-term plan and not a flash-in-the-pan initiative.

We developed a graphic device to represent the coming together of the company. This device would link sets of words as well as being a symbol of positivity, something that was at the heart of the objectives.

Linking words with the graphic 'plus sign'

So, how does it all come together? Below, you’ll see the manifestation of our work for RCT Homes, from the guidelines through to print and internal design communications.

A few pages from the Brand Guidelines

Vision and Values pack

Vision and Values Booklet with each value explained.

Wallet sized Vision and Values fold-out

Launch event

With the launch completed, our next task was to start producing internal literature and looking at how we create an office environment that mirrored the brand.

Print material, New Starter Pack

Print material

Internally, we have designed branding for the offices that encapsulates one of the RCT Homes values, namely Bold by using key words to use as decals on the office windows. This acts as an impactful reminder to staff of messages that will inspire and galvanise them.

Office Decals

Office Decals

Reception Decals

Unlike many projects we work on, a branding project like this can only be successful if it is maintained. If you like, it’s a living thing and it needs to be fed and cared for in order for it to thrive. We have a responsibility to support RCT Homes to ensure the brand remains in the detail. So everything from HTML emails, internal posters and any employee scheme needs to look and taste like the brand. The brand needs to adapt to change, change that might come through initiatives or necessity. The proof that a brand is working, is when you only notice it when it’s not there.

They’re all out there. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and a multitude of other social networking devices that enable people to connect their thoughts and views with anyone and everyone.

Here at 360º we continually advocate this media channel as a serious way to get your company’s employer messages across to potential candidates, active and passive.

Build a following on Twitter or though a blog or have a page on Facebook or LinkedIn and if you create enough interest and fresh content, you’ll have a community of like-minded individuals that will get to know you well.

The secret is always to make sure you have something to say. What’s your company doing? What about the industry, is there something fresh happening? If so, what are your opinions?

But don’t do all the thinking yourself. Get the ambassadors of your brand involved. Yes, your employees. They are the mouthpieces of your organisation and it gets everyone around you involved. They gain ownership of something precious, the brand, which in turn, will cement a high degree of loyalty too.

Build that following and get others to comment. This builds a healthy dialogue that can sell your brand better than anything. It never becomes dated and dare I say it, it’s cool.

Mark

Most of us are shareholders if we have a pension plan. Vast sums of money are invested on our behalf without a lot of input from the individual.

Money has been lost because share prices have gone down and some of these funds have suffered but in the economic climate we find ourselves could an alternative be found.

If the race for profit were not so fierce and the acceptance that profit can not rise every year, a company may be able to keep staff that would go in the endeavour to increase share price. A modest profit by a well run company should not have to mean a takeover threat and more job losses. By keeping staff everyone gains as tax receipts rise, there are more buyers for good and services and employees are not looking over their shoulders to see who will go next. The workforce would be more committed and companies would benefit.

By accepting that dividends can not be ever rising instability would be taken out of the market. There would not be the highs but there would also not be as many lows.

Badly run companies would still not survive and there would not be huge gains for speculators. A company such as John Lewis that actively engages its shareholders has a good employer brand and rising sales in a difficult market.

I accept that a company with many shareholders can not be run by them, but has anyone thought it worth consulting with shareholders to get acceptance of staff retention against dividends in this current market.

Maureen

I was at an appointment for some medical treatment and was asked if I minded a 6th former sitting in as she was on work experience. Being interested in Education, the employment market and young people’s view of the current situation I asked her what she wanted to do next. She said she wanted to train in medicine and that she had been lucky to get this placement as her mother was a nurse and put a word in for her.

She had seen the recent Panorama about the explosion of population (is Britain full?) and was concerned as to her future employment prospects.

There was no meaningful contact with Businesses; Career advice was not helpful so there was no goal to aim for. Choosing a University course (if places were available) was made difficult because of this lack of knowledge of what is needed in the workforce of the future.

Some employers do have contact with local schools, colleges and universities but this does not seem the case in a large number of schools.

We should not have to look abroad for our stars of the future, there are plenty of bright, willing young people that just need directing. As employers we must do something about this waste of potential talent. Some schools and businesses are waking up to the fact that joint ventures can be a benefit to both but there needs to be more momentum. With the internet there is a vast amount of information available but this does not seem to help in the choice of career direction. Career exhibitions do have some impact ( although a lot don’t go) but it is imperative that young people have some idea of what may be available and expected of them after education, especially if University places are not available.

If we as employers do not engage more with our future workforce then who do we have to blame if there are shortages in the skills we need?

Maureen

Quite an interesting Twitter campaign attacking Labour has begun in the past few days. A voice from 2015 imagines a dark future where Labour win the 2010 election and invites people to contribute on how that future might look.

I find it particularly interesting as the supporting poster campaign is very familiar. It has a very distinctive visual of five years being scratched, prison cell style, into a dark concrete wall with the headline ’5 more years hard Labour?’

A voice from 2015 poster campaign

This poster is very close to a concept we created for an article that ran in The Independent on Sunday a while back (read about it here, here and here – HEAR, HEAR, HEAR! ORDER!!).

Naff 'orf Gordon!

I’m not really suggesting any wrong doing here as this particular idea didn’t get published but it has been up on our blog and various other bloggers have linked to it on occasion too, so the idea has been out there and visible. But, you know, there’s no such thing as a new idea I suppose. Just ask the Conservatives. (In fact, as David Cameron is making it his business to chat to everyone at the moment you can ask him when he gives you a call).

David

For the fourth year in a row Argos are continuing with their successful ‘Choosy…’ Graduate Leadership scheme. And for the fourth year in a row 360 has been involved with communicating the ongoing success story of the scheme. This year we have been concentrating on improving the campaign microsite – www.wearechoosy.com has been upgraded to include past and present graduate career journeys and video profiles.

Read a full case study outlining our involvement in marketing the scheme below.

Argos Graduate Case Study

Challenge

360 Degrees Advertising was briefed by it’s client, Argos, to help them develop a campaign to attract a select number of high calibre individuals, who would be offered the opportunity to join a corporate career fast-track scheme to become the Group’s future business leaders. Our challenge was to both intrigue and encourage potential graduates to understand both the size and the variety of the opportunity that was on offer. Our brief emphasised the point that Argos were going to be very selective in deciding who they might bring on to the scheme – indeed, the point was made that they would rather not make an appointment than potentially bring on individuals that would not make the grade. The campaign was targeted to hire six graduates.

Solution

We needed to communicate to our target audience that Argos was being as selective as they were, so we developed a ‘cherry-picking’ concept around a single word – ‘Choosy’, married to a clean, aspirational design style. To further add intrigue, we omitted the Argos logo from most materials – including the front cover and the first few pages of the brochure. Print materials were supported by a microsite – www.wearechoosy.com that further emphasised the exclusivity of the scheme, with a consistent high-end design. The brochures were printed to a very high quality spec and were only ‘presented’ to potential candidates who had already impressed at the initial discussion stages.

Results

Results were impressive – in the first year Argos recruited five exceptional leadership candidates, as well as a healthy talent database for other graduate-level positions throughout the business. ‘Choosy’ has become a staple recruitment tool for the attraction and selection of class leading candidates into the business. The campaign continues and existing recruits have been included into the solution as ‘brand advocates’ for both the business and the scheme.

David

Friends Provident underlines important role HR will play in future war for talent

A leading financial services group has conducted a report that shows that the future of business will be “elite workers”.

Friends Provident along with the Future Foundation conducted the Visions of Britain 2020 report. The survey consisted of 1,000 British opinions from several high profile experts in the employment industry.

The study found that the coupling of an emerging polarised workforce and a decline in foreign workers will result in “elite workers”. These elite workers will be involved in technical, professional and managerial roles. Due to their high skill levels and self-motivation they will be in popular demand and may be integral to the success of businesses of the future.

83% of respondants felt that companies will need to be more tactical in order to attract and retain these increasingly valued workers. Employers therefore will have to meet these new demands and expectations. 48% believed that making the job more fulfilling was more important than a higher salary when trying to retain these elite workers.

Gillian Fox, Human Resources Director, Friends Provident, comments: “By 2020, the balance of power between employees and employers will have shifted in favour of elite workers. This means employers will require more robust and rigorous HR strategies to shape the future success of the business. Only by fostering a culture that truly allows talented employees to prosper will employers be able to attract, recruit and more importantly retain this powerful band of employees.”

Roger