1. Employer
branding –
hit or miss?
Boost the value of your brand by
clearly positioning your company
on the job market.

2. Employer branding –
hit or miss?
Boost the value of
your brand by clearly
positioning your
company on the job
market.
Highly qualified and motivated emplo­ Global Brands Ranking – the ranking of ▸ Definition of
yees are a key, yet increasingly scarce the 100 most valuable brands. In other employer branding:
resource in nearly all areas – from indus­ words, the brand plays a decisive role in
Employer branding refers to the conscious positio­
trial to service-related sectors. Only choosing an employer. As a result, it is
ning of a company as a top-class employer. The
the most attractive brands can draw and all the more important for companies to
main purpose of employer branding is to manage
keep the best professionals and mana­ clearly position their brands on the job
the perception as an employer – with the aim
gers. Companies today face a major market – brands that are truly unique,
of attracting the right employees to the company.
challenge, with a decline in loyalty, relevant to their target audiences and with
a growing willingness to change jobs and promises that people can believe. A clear
increasing demands in the workplace. employer positioning sets the company
apart from the competition and streng­
For years, employees have not been
thens the overall image of the brand.
content to take jobs simply because of the
attractive salaries and benefits offered But how can companies with strong
to them. A good working atmosphere, an brands communicate what they stand for
extremely positive image of the employer as employers? And how can companies
and an equal work-life balance are without strong consumer brands position
becoming increasingly important when themselves as attractive employers?
choosing an employer.
One trend that has been observed is that
companies with especially strong brands
also top the rankings of the best emplo­
yers. Automobile manufacturers like BMW,
Daimler and Audi as well as giants like
Lufthansa, Siemens and SAP top the list
of the most sought-after employers.
These are exactly the same companies
that lead the annual Interbrand Best
Employer branding – hit or miss? | Boost the value of your brand by clearly positioning your company on the job market.

3. In the process of helping several cus- and behavior. Employees need to know, For many years, Interbrand has helped
tomers build and maintain attractive understand and exemplify the employer’s brands implement employer branding as
employer brands, it has been possible brand promise. an integrated aspect of value-oriented
to identify decisive factors for successful brand management.
The continuous and consistent alignment of
employer branding:
all communication and offerings in the area of
Defining the role of the employer – Human Resources creates a sense of credibility.
employer value proposition
The brand positioning is frequently The interplay between Human Resources
based on customer insights, brand values, and Marketing
a value proposition as well as a brand People make brands. As an element of an
promise. The definition is strongly aligned integrated and continuous brand mana­
with the company’s areas of expertise and gement strategy, one decisive factor for
customer groups. In order to target poten­ success in implementing employer bran­-
tial and existing employees, it is essential ding is a close working relationship between
to translate the brand positioning into an Human Resources and Marketing. Com­
employer value proposition and interpret panies need to define platforms and forums
the values from the employer's perspective. to allow these departments to communi­
cate regularly with each other and ensure
There can only be one brand – a clear brand that these practices are well established
positioning provides the central basis for within the organization.
creating a voice as an employer.
A shared understanding and solid establish­
Aligning communication and activities
ment of the brand in the organization are
Once a shared basic understanding has
important factors for success.
been defined, the implementation process
becomes very significant. Many examples Increase the value of your brand with ▸ Definition of
show that recruiting ads or employer a clear positioning on the job market: employer value proposition:
campaigns are simply not enough. It is At Interbrand, we know that employer
essential to create a consistent overall branding not only boosts the image of The employer value proposition describes the
image – from the positioning and communi­ the company, but also plays an impor­- under­ tanding of the brand from the employer’s
s
cation to the definition of processes, struc­ tant role in continuously increasing the perspective. The statement formulates a shared
tures and offerings. When it comes to value of the brand and its contribution basic understanding as an employer and addresses
the target audience of potential employees, to the company's success. At the same topics such as the working environment, team­
it is especially important to implement time, employer branding underscores an work, management style and development.
this proposition in a relevant, credible way organization's commitment to its brand It provides the basis for aligning communication
in all communication, offerings and pro­ and supports the focus, involvement and offerings in the scope of employer branding.
grams, as well as in the corporate culture and investments in brand development.
Over 20% of employees under the age of 30 say
that they would prefer to have a lower-paying
job with a brand that they believe in.
Employer branding – hit or miss? | Boost the value of your brand by clearly positioning your company on the job market.

4. References
Thomson Reuters Deutsche Telekom Wrigley
Thomson Reuters Telekom is attracting a great deal of atten­ Wrigley
Thomson Reuters also faced the challenge tion with its employer image campaign, "It's not always what you do that makes
of having to unite employees from various which specifically addresses new target a difference. It's who you are as an orga­
corporate cultures under a single brand. audiences. This communication is based on nization that makes everything possible,"
The aim was to have existing employees an employer value proposition, clearly said Bill Wrigley Jr. in describing Wrigley’s
continue to identify themselves with defined in line with the brand positioning successful change process.
the brand while attracting new high poten­ and internal guidelines in collaboration
After Mars took over in 2008, the manage­
tials to the company. with Interbrand. In addition to implemen­
ment was focused on the internal change
ting the employer value proposition in com­
Interbrand helped Thomson Reuters de­ process. In order to avoid a decline in
munication campaigns, it is essential that
fine an employer value proposition based employee identification with the com­
all programs and offers be aligned consis­
on the idea of “intelligent information". pany, an extensive internal transition was
tently in order to have a credible image on
The employer value proposition has since triggered in addition to the repositioning
the market – a must for employer branding.
provided the strategic basis for internal of the brand.
brand management, staff development This approach has proven successful for
Together with Interbrand, Wrigley
and recruiting activities in the form of Telekom so far. Since the brand has been
developed the "platform of change" that
various communication measures, e.g. clearly positioned on the job market, its
focused on promoting the transfer of
a new intranet platform and incentives reputation has improved among students
knowledge between employees, develo­
to promote employee identification with and graduates. The brand has become
ping a lasting culture of positive accom­
the brand. more popular among economists, engineers
plishment and motivation, and rewarding
and IT specialists alike, reaching 12th
Deutsche Telekom the staff for their efforts.
place in the ranking of the top 100 emplo­
Deutsche Telekom's strategic realignment
yers. When asked to rate the best career
in becoming an experience brand is evi­
websites of 100 major German companies,
dent in more than just the Telekom Shops
participants ranked Telekom number 2
and its product and service communica­
behind Bertelsmann.
tion. Instead, Deutsche Telekom realized
that a clear and relevant positioning on
the job market can make a significant con­
tribution to its overall process of change.
Employer branding – hit or miss? | Boost the value of your brand by clearly positioning your company on the job market.

5. Your employer branding
experts at Interbrand
Nina Oswald Linda Marquardt
Managing Director Cologne Senior Consultant
Member of the Board Central &
Eastern Europe
As Managing Director Nina is responsible­ Linda Marquardt is Senior Consultant
for the strategic and operational mana­­ and primarily responsible for the Deutsche
gement of the Cologne office and is member Telekom account. She has worked at
of the Interbrand Board for Central & Interbrand since 2007 and is involved in
Eastern Europe. a variety of branding projects, including
verbal identity, brand acoustics and
Nina has 10 years experience in the develop­
employer branding.
ment, management, and implementation of
brands and has worked for many national Prior to joining Interbrand, Linda Marquardt
and international brands including Deutsche worked in the brand management depart­
Telekom and TUI. ments at E.ON and Heineken. Her responsi­
bilities included being involved in the launch
She manages the Deutsche Telekom client
of a sub-brand at E.ON and repositioning
account for many years and was involved in
the Amstel brand on the Spanish market.
the rebrandings for Deutsche Telekom
in Central & Eastern Europe. Since 2010, Linda Marquardt has been
responsible for all issues and projects related
Phone +49 221 951 72 124
to employer branding.
Mail Nina.Oswald@interbrand.com
Phone +49 221 95 172 120
Mail Linda.Marquardt@interbrand.com
Employer branding – hit or miss? | Boost the value of your brand by clearly positioning your company on the job market.

6. We’re there for you
Interbrand is a part of the Omnicom Group, a leading Our disciplines Interbrand
global advertising and marketing communications – Employer Branding Central and Eastern Europe
company. Our dedicated employees at our four offices of – Analytics Hamburg
Interbrand Central and Eastern Europe, as well as those – Brand Engagement Zirkusweg 1
20359 Hamburg
in our worldwide network, are proven experts in the fields – Brand Strategy Phone +49 40 355 366 0
of design, consulting, architecture, communications, – Brand Valuation Fax +49 40 355 366 66
information technology and business administration. – Corporate Design
Cologne
– Digital Branding Weinsbergstrasse 118a
We are happy to advise you in your home market and
– Digital Brand Management 50823 Cologne
can provide you with expert guidance for your brand‘s Phone +49 221 951 72 0
– Health Fax +49 221 951 72 100
global presence.
– Naming
– Packaging Design Moscow
Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux
– Retail Design ZAO Brand Development Systems
– Verbal Identity Stolyarniy lane, 3, bld. 6
122023 Moscow
Phone +7 495 787 4600
Fax +7 495 787 4600
Zurich
Kirchenweg 5
8008 Zurich
Phone +41 44 388 78 78
Fax +41 44 388 77 90
www.interbrand.com
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