Building a strong brand is a multifaceted effort. It often begins with having the right people in place in each area of an organization. Achieving that takes a strong job recruitment plan. According to Effectv research, video recruitment ads are remarkably effective for reaching not only job applicants but consumers as well.
Video Recruitment Ads Deliver Multiple Benefits
As it turns out, video recruitment campaigns can offer value in reaching both new potential job applicants in addition to new potential customers. Video advertisements often reach audiences in engaging environments, conveying impactful messages about their brand.
Findings from a consumer survey conducted by Effectv demonstrate a strong branding impact from recruitment ads. In some cases, the recruitment ads performed better in branding the business than one solely focused on information about the business. And as more people are seeking new jobs, recruitment ads—like the one below—take on even more importance as consumers are increasingly interested in companies looking to hire new employees.
Companies such as Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor and others are in the business of employee recruitment. Their ads are specifically targeting job hunters without regard for selling anything to anyone else. It’s the same for branches of the military – their ads are designed for recruitment. This research was conceived to determine how mainstream companies’ advertising metrics might be impacted by ad creative that promoted their company as a desirable place to work.
About the Study
There were two scenarios for analyzing responses, each containing two ads:
- Scenario #1
250 respondents who viewed a branding ad for a home improvement service, compared to 250 respondents who viewed a recruitment ad for the same business using the same logo and brand treatment throughout the ad. - Scenario #2
500 respondents who viewed a typical recruitment ad promoting open positions, compared to 500 respondents who viewed a recruitment ad for a similar business featuring emotional elements and not promoting specific openings.
The results showed improved brand awareness, recall, and purchase intent from the general audiences who were not “in market” as recruitment targets as well as for those employment intenders, effectively creating a dual-target ad in the process.
Let’s take a look at the impact of the ads on each desired outcome:
Brand Awareness
When asked about the primary intention of a recruitment ad, nearly half (47%) of respondents answered it was something other than to “recruit employees” including “brand awareness” and “promoting a service.” These findings support the idea that recruitment ads can have an impact beyond the primary intention of recruiting employees. When ads featured more emotional elements such as employee testimonials, viewers were even more likely to identify them as building brand awareness or promoting a service.
Better Recall (Scenario #1)
An important factor in any advertising effort is to recall the brand. Viewers of a brand’s recruitment ad recalled their name at a higher rate than those who saw the brand’s traditional product-focused ad. In fact, viewers of the recruitment ad were 1.7X more likely to recall the brand name than those served the product-focused ad.
Recall was highest among viewers who were not looking for a job in the advertised field. This demonstrates that non-job-seekers were still paying attention and engaged with the content of the ad.
Greater Intent (Scenario #2)
While recall is an important goal of video advertising, the ultimate goal for brands is to have viewers take action. Effectv’s analysis revealed 63% of viewers looking for a job in the field advertised were interested in the company after seeing the ad. Interest was +39% higher for viewers who were served an ad with more emotional elements, like testimonials. In addition, viewers of the recruitment ad were just as likely to consider purchasing from the brand as those exposed to one simply highlighting the company’s services.
Using video advertising to recruit new employees is a worthwhile effort because it can reach both those looking for a job and those who may not have considered a career change. Ultimately, this widens the pool of candidates for a business. The Effectv analysis revealed that promoting a business through creative that highlights being a great place to work can have a far bigger impact than simply recruiting new employees. Humanizing your company as a great place to work simultaneously elevates the entire business.
Simply stated, recruitment ads also drive overall brand awareness.
Source: Creative analysis using three commercial messages (Survey conducted by Lucid; Q2 2022; N=750)
