Storytelling in HR

Everybody talks about Storytelling these days. And for brands storytelling is a well-working tool to gain and retain costumers. Especially as storytelling allows a brand to be presented in more than 6sec commercial "break".

The ads streaming prior to videos on sites like youtube.com are allowed to be skipped. While my daughter loves to click the skip button I find myself actually enjoying those ads as they are capturing an evolving story as grand visual play. It also allows the tool to be repeated within a self-marketing campaign without it getting annoying or old. So is Chanel's current storyboard for Coco which had me sucked in Chanel-World for 6 episodes of about 3-4 minutes each. Here is one to give a taste.




One big question popped up then: Why in the world does no employer gain and retains his employees via this tool?! 

(I haven't found one - but I am sure this would go more than viral.)

The assumed answer(s) to my question:
-  a lot of employers have not understood they are a brand on the job-market
-  most companies have not understood how emotions and motions can be used for HR
- HR and self-PR/Marketing does not get that big of a pot to finance an elaborated story
- HR has not understood that storytelling not only works for training purposes


Or maybe the world hasn't grown old and tired (and sick, personally) from carreer-rap-video-awkwardness
I would like you to spare from. But even videos like this one below is leaving a blah-feeling and makes me quote my cousin who loves to say "you cereal?!"




Nan

Factor: Industry Image - The Ad Industry and its aweful Employer Image

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis' blog entry: Faktor Branchenimage - Beispiel: Die Werbebranche und ihr schlechtes Arbeitgeberimage

In many Employer Branding - Models the industry image plays as actually quite contributing factor a smaller role for the Employer Image of companies. A mistake. It is obvious that the industry image influences the attractivity of corporate brands, and with it its employer brand. (For instance, if fluent in German, check this University paper, page 28, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christoph Burmann, Das Branchenimage als Determinante der Unternehmensmarkenprofilierung, 2005).

Important "Players" for a good image of an industry are the big, well-known companies of the industry itself as well as the regarding associations, as they are the ones who has the take care of the very industry.

How you should not do it, well, that shows one industry as best, erm worst example: the ad industry.

Since working in this industry (for over 10 years) hardly anything has changed on the fact of "advertiser" being one of the most unfavored vocation.  The image is not new...
Certainly, the in August open letter released by a couple of students from University Pforzheim from Werbeliebe, an association who actually love advertising, is not the first warning to the ad industry. But instead of becoming active and cope with the situation finding a proper solution, the GWA, the association of advertisment agencies reacted (with an attitude *EN), demanding a definition of "appreciation"

Is advertisment really like this!? 39,90 

Last evening, in preparation for this blog post, I started a mini survey (anonymous, 2 questions), asking HR Manager I know. The seven well-experienced colleagues from well-known agencies asked all agreed with me. All answered regarding the sentence: "The GWA engages noticeably for the employer attractivity of the industry, especially regarding winning young talents" with the same - not aggreeing. If the GWA actually understands the signs in this content (this was the second question) is questionable. Here HR's are at odds.

But what to do when the association doesn't do anything? Resign the membership like Serviceplan did? Surely saves a lot of money but won't help solving the problem. 

Catastrophy as a chance? You cannot really free yourself from the industry image. With good Personnel- and Self-PR, however, singly companies can strive and steer against it. This means, though, companies will have to face and appreciate critics and not talk/make them small. In doubt, this means to walk new paths boldly.

Jannis

The Job-Ads check, or, "The Entrance to the World of Pain"

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis's blog entry: Stellenanzeigen im Check oder auch der "Einstieg in die Welt des Schmerzes"

You might think I am exaggerating. Honestly, I wish I could push it but they job-ads I am going to show you will prove it. Paging through German magazines I sometimes land on pages with job-ads and, well, find the entrance to the world of pain (kinda like Smokie in The Big Lebowski). Check this out.

But maybe you find this different. I would like to give you two examples I am more than happy to discuss with you then.

Example #1: Ferchau 

(Ferchau is an ingeneering company specialized for the aviation industry.)

It says, "Convert your energy successfully". Erm yes, and...how, with a foursquared rack-wheel?! It also says, "You can do that better". Turning the quadrangular round?!

What kind of profile is actually looked for? And for what? What is the offer? Or is it an Image-Ad? If so, what does Ferchau stand forexactly? Cause this certainly is not explained in this ad at all.

Kind of too many inconsistencies - Ouch!! Don't you think?

Example #2: Bundeswehr 

(German Federal Armed Forces. Yes the GFAF also functions like a business. Now while we have no Major Tom nor Uncle Sam we instead have ust the black eagle hoping for applicants. I guess. (*EN))

Here it says, the "Ingeneering career at Bund is sharper than it looks". I am sorry, what? What the heck, erm eagle, does that mean?! You can have a sharp career at the Bundeswehr? What is that supposed to look like? 

Here as well I am asking myself: What and who is searched for? Why Bund instead of Bundeswehr? Why having an excrutiating log jammed structure in this job ad? With a confusing punch line if you can call that one even.

Ouch! I know I am hurting. Are you too?

JT

Talking Windows in Recruiting

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Ein neuer Recruiting-Kanal – Kandidatensuche mit sprechenden Fenstern

Yes you read it right. It indeed says "Talking windows"!. 

Last week I reported about Guerilla Recruiting and innovative Personnel Marketing ideas. Today I would like to represent and discuss an idea which came to me this week.

Directly into the head of potential customers the pay-to-watch channel Sky Deutschland is presenting its newest App, letting window panes in trains talk to commuters directly. But not everybody can hear the message! Only those commuters who rest their head against the window.

Via transmitter the panes are set swinging and transfers a tone onto the skull tranfering the inaudible swingings directly to the inner ear -  that is the so called Bone Conduction. This (will) result in completely new Marketing and Recruiting means.

Imagine this, you transmit your message or job-ads via audio-spot. Aimed in trains, trams, buses, rental cars etc. to find candidates. Using this innovation of technical possibilities you might leave a sustaining impression. For the younger academics especially. The media attention will be yours for sure as well. But only, if you do not wait too long to be one of the first using Bone Conduction.

I am looking forward to seeing some projects published through this channel and especially by whom. 

RJ

Sloppy Baden-Württemberg Campaign. Isn't it?

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis's blog entry: Baden-Württemberg versaloppert sich mit "La deutsche Vita"! Oder?

The German Federal State of Baden-Württemberg became famous in Germany with the great Scholz & Friends Campaign "Wir können alles. Außer Hochdeutsch." (We can [do] everything. But High German). Meanwhile the German Agency "Hirschen" are taing care of this Client and its Campaign (W&V). I know, it is old hat. Yet, this week the Ad "La deutsche Vita." (an homage to la dolce vita, turned into la German vita) crossed my view in the Magazine "brandeins", and I asked myself: Has Baden-Württemberg became sloppy with this Employer Branding Camapign?! I know, I must lean over this Window too much. Especially since the site www.bw-jetzt.de  is highly spoken of. However, let us debate a little.

In the Ad it says i.e. "Besonders gerne kombinieren wir besonders Gutes miteinander: etwa spannende Jobs mit entspanntem Dolce Vita. Das Ergebnis? La deutsche Vita!" ("We love to combine the very good Things: for instance exciting Jobs with a relaxed Dolce Vita. The result? La deutsche Vita") Ah! Alrighty, thanks! The Advertisement and Website is packed with such creative Sentences which are Fun. But is it convincing?
There are no Hints or Links to a (or the) Company which possibly could hold such Promise. (Editors Note: Besides that, do Employees even get the Chance to encounter la dolce Vita much as desired? Check this older blog entry.) Same dissonant Scene you can currently find on its Facebook Profile. Little to less authentic Posts. So it won't make you wonder about the less participated "Liking" on the 31 May Post about the "La deutsch Vita"-Motive with the Sentence "Das Leben ist euch nicht dolce genug? Kommt nach Baden-Württemberg!" ("Life is not dolce enough? Come to Baden-Württemberg!") receiving a total of 12 Likes when having 7,000 Fans on FB - odd and bad, let's pretend the current floodings are responsible for the low Participation on BW's Facebook *EN.

W"hat do you think about this? Does this Campaign even make Sense?


JT

Axel Springer looking for talented Fellow Traveller

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: "Mitreisende gesucht"

The Digital Natives grew up with modern Technology. The Internet has become a part of everyone's daily life. Networking and Information in  real-time are important to them. 

Now another Generation is entering the Job Market. The Specialists and Leaders of tomorrow are certainly wooed which is why more and more Companies are focussing their Personnel Marketing Activities to be channelled on and to them.  Media Company Axel Springer is staging itself with a  founding   legend of great digital companies such as Apple or Google. 

"It doesn't matter where you come from. As long as you know where you want to go" are the final words of the Video displayed above. The Media House wants to strengthen its Position as Connoisseur of the Digital Industry and launches this new Campaign as Recruiting-Medium in hopes of finding qualified Talents who will join the Companie's Journey towards being the "leading digital Media Company". There is a lot in the pipeline,for instance, a Media Campus is supposed to be  sprouting up in Berlin, Germany. On top of that Axel Springe is supporting the Start-Up Event-Line "hy!", which is taking place in Berlin as of now.

In September 2012 already, BILD-Chief Editor, Kai Diekmann, travelled to the Silicon Valley so he could catch a glimpse of the local Start-Up Scene and of course for networking with such. Where his Journey took him, you can see at his optical Metamorphosis into a Nerd. Surely looking forward to the Media House's development.

Axel Springer succeeds in drawing Interest and Attention with this rather unusual and blahblah-less Personnel Marketing Campaign.

RJ

Yummy flavor: XING kununus through as it wishes...

"A Translation from Jannis Tsalikis' Blog Entry: "Lecker Geschmäckle: XING kununut sich durch, wie es will"

There are things happening on XING (almost to be considered as a German LinkedIn) which I find suspicious somehow. Is that alright with you? Since the take-over of kununu by XING, the employer review platform kununu is integrated without saying and as it wishes. For instance, even I - as Premium Account Member - am spammed over with ads which ask me to participate in a sweepstake competition (!) where I should review my employer. Why are they allowed to do that? AND: Does that actually match? Employer review and sweepstake? Hmmm, ... (look at the ad I just got in a mail)

("It is your turn: Review your employer now! Win a week in San Fransisco for 2")

Company profiles on XING, financed by the companies themselves, have the "Review-your -employer"-button included. I cannot remember when I was asked to allow such ... probably included in the small print ?!

Well, one is not forced to fill out the review. However, it does have a flavor when earning money with two portals and pushing one of them through a sweepstake (on the other). On top of that, kununu used to be held just because of its relatively neutral way once. Can this spirit last with all this business? Questions over questions. I am looking forward to your opinions.

JT