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    Activision Blizzard’s Talent Attraction Strategy: Three Brands, Three EVPs

    Activision Blizzard is a well-known name in the video game industry, with three distinct brands: King, Blizzard Entertainment, and Activision. Each brand has its own unique identity and EVP (employee value proposition), which helps the company attract and retain top talent. In this episode of our Employer Branding Podcast, we talk to Alex Horner, the Global Head of Talent Attraction at Activision Blizzard, about how they manage three separate brands for three unique game studios.

    The Unique Talent Challenges of the Video Game Industry
    Making video games is a complex process that requires a wide range of skills, from game design and engineering to art and animation. “There are so many incredibly niche roles and skillsets needed to make games,” says Horner, “and we need to articulate why someone with such an in-demand skillset might want to join us and what the benefit they would get from coming here might be.”
    One of the challenges of attracting talent to the video game industry is that it is a very competitive field. There are many different companies vying for the same talent, so it is important to have a strong EVP that will resonate with potential hires.
    Activision Blizzard’s Three Distinct EVPs
    Activision Blizzard has developed three distinct EVPs for its three brands:

    Activision: “Great games start with great people.” This EVP is focused on attracting talent who is passionate about creating blockbusters for the largest audience possible.

    Blizzard Entertainment: “Entertain the universe.” This EVP is focused on attracting talent who is passionate about creating genre-defining titles that are known for their fantasy and immersion.

    King: “Make the world playful.” This EVP is focused on attracting talent who is passionate about creating inclusive games that are accessible to a wide audience.

    Why Employee Advocacy Is Key to Activision Blizzard’s EVP Activation
    Activision Blizzard has found that employee advocacy is a key to activating its EVPs. “We really wanted to put our people at the heart of the storytelling and to have them tell the story on our behalf,” says Horner. The company has an employee advocacy program that identifies employees who are a good fit and takes them through a structured learning and development program to help them build their personal brand.
    The employee advocacy program has been very successful in helping Activision Blizzard attract top talent. With 55 people in the program, they collectively have 500,000 followers on LinkedIn and generate 2-4 million impressions on a monthly basis.
    The Benefits of Activision Blizzard’s EVP Strategy
    Activision Blizzard’s EVP strategy has a number of benefits for the company:

    It helps the company attract top talent in a competitive field.
    It helps the company differentiate its brands and attract talent to the right studio.
    It helps the company create a strong employer brand that is known for its passion for creating great games.

    Activision Blizzard’s EVP strategy is a great example of how companies can use employer branding to attract and retain top talent. By developing distinct EVPs for its brands, the company is able to attract talent with the skills and experience it needs to be successful. The company’s employee advocacy program is also a key part of its EVP strategy, and it has been very successful in helping the company attract top talent.
    Conclusion
    Activision Blizzard’s EVP strategy is a complex and multifaceted approach to employer branding. However, it is a strategy that is working well for the company, and it is one that other companies can learn from.

    To follow Alex Horner’s work in employer brand, connect with him on LinkedIn. For help with your own EVP, get in touch. We help you identify the values and culture you want to create in your company.
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    How Mars Used the Employer Brand Index to Refresh Their EVP

    Developing an employer value proposition (EVP) is essential for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent.
    The EVP is a statement that summarizes the unique value that a company offers to its employees. It is a promise to employees about what they can expect in terms of compensation, benefits, development opportunities, and overall work experience.
    An EVP is essential for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent. It helps communicate the company’s culture and values and shows potential employees why they should choose to work there.
    But how do you know if your EVP is working? And how do you know when it’s time for a refresh?
    That’s where Link Humans’ Employer Brand Index (EBI) comes in. The EBI is a comprehensive analysis of your employer brand that tells you what candidates, employees, and alumni are saying about your company online.
    Mars, Inc. is a global company with over 140,000 employees in 80 countries. They recently used the EBI to guide an EVP refresh for their organization.

    Refreshing an EVP on a Global Scale
    Mars is a complex organization with a wide range of businesses. Their EVP needed to be something that could resonate with employees and candidates all over the world.
    The first step in the refresh process was to conduct an EBI survey. The survey asked respondents about their perceptions of Mars on a variety of factors, including career development, culture and values, and work-life balance.
    The results of the survey showed that Mars had a strong reputation among its employees and candidates. However, there were a few areas where the company could improve. For example, respondents felt that Mars could do more to promote its mission and purpose.
    Using the EBI to Supplement Internal Surveys and Focus Groups
    In addition to the EBI report, Mars also conducted internal surveys and focus groups. These surveys and focus groups provided additional insights into the company’s culture and employee satisfaction.
    However, the EBI data had some advantages over the internal surveys and focus groups. First, the EBI survey was anonymous, which allowed respondents to be more honest. Second, the EBI survey reached a wider audience, including candidates and alumni.
    How Mars Uses the EBI
    Mars now uses the EBI to measure the effectiveness of its EVP on a regular basis. The company also uses the EBI to inform its decision-making on a variety of topics, such as talent acquisition, employee engagement, and corporate communications.
    Establishing Your EBI Baseline
    The EBI is a valuable tool for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent. By using the EBI, you can get a clear understanding of how your employer brand is perceived by candidates, employees, and alumni. This information can help you to identify areas where you can improve your EVP and make your organization a more attractive place to work.
    To follow Marie Codet’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help gathering data and insights you can act on to improve your own company, get in touch.
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    How to Use Your Employer Brand to Reduce Hiring Costs

    The success of every company hinges on its people. But attracting the best talent isn’t always an easy feat. Companies often invest significant amounts of money into the bottom of the recruitment process — job boards and recruiters. But at Flexa, we’ve found that a great employer brand can reduce hiring costs whilst attracting the high-quality candidates your company needs to grow.
    At its simplest, employer branding is a combination of:

    Your employee value proposition (EVP), which will probably centre around your working environment and flexible working policies

    Your company culture

    Your employees’ voices.

    And then, importantly, knowing exactly how and where to shout about all this hard work!
    Here’s how it’s done.
    1. Identify your Employee Value Proposition
    A strong employer brand is built on authenticity, transparency, and a positive reputation. Start by working out what you want to be known for, what you represent, and what you can offer employees that other companies can’t (this is your EVP). This is the perfect time to identify any areas for improvement that don’t reflect positively on your brand. It’s never too late to shake up company culture to attract and retain a happy team.
    When setting out your EVP, make sure to be authentic. There’s no point in making promises you can’t keep, as this only leads to disgruntled new hires later on.
    Once you’ve identified your EVP and what makes you unique, you can start shouting about it.
    2. Leverage social media
    Social media is an indispensable tool for employer branding. Create a strong presence on relevant platforms (at Flexa we love LinkedIn) and consistently share content that reflects your company’s culture, values, and employee achievements. Engage with potential candidates through relevant hashtags and participate in industry discussions (hosting your webinars can be a great way to draw people in). By utilizing these platforms effectively, you can reach a broader talent pool and reduce reliance on expensive recruitment agencies or job boards by having talent excited to be part of your company when you are ready to hire.
    3. Encourage employee advocacy
    There are no better advocates for your company than those who already work for you. They’re your biggest ambassadors and the most authentic marketing tool. Encourage employees to share their positive experiences and wins on social media; and amplify their stories through company channels and website testimonials. At Flexa, our team often posts about how they’re making the most of flexible work.
    By leveraging employee voices, you can tap into the networks of trusted employees whilst giving potential candidates an invaluable window into your world, so they can make an educated decision about whether you’re the right fit for them.
    Remember though, this needs to be authentic: people are smart; they can tell when someone has been told to post something nice about a company. The real stories from real employees will have a much more significant impact!
    4. Shake up your success metrics
    Many companies will measure their employer brand’s success using applications and hires alone. But your employer brand is far more extensive than that, so you need to evolve the marketing metrics you use to measure it.
    Employer brand is a strategic marketing effort. Therefore, when starting out, consider measuring the success of your efforts using metrics like reach (impressions/profile views on company and employee pages), engagement (company saves/likes/subscribes/ speculative interest), and audience relevance (diversity/geography/ skills of candidates coming through the pipeline).
    Lower down the funnel, you need to measure applications and hires, as well as things like alignment and diversity. If you focus on getting maximum relevant reach to start with, you will drive down your ultimate cost to hire.
    5. Foster positive candidate experiences
    Treating candidates with respect and providing them with a positive experience during the hiring process can significantly impact your employer brand. Maintain clear communication throughout the process, provide timely feedback, and offer a smooth and efficient application process. Even if a candidate is not selected, leaving them with a positive impression can lead to recommendations or future applications. This approach helps build a strong employer brand and reduces the need for extensive and costly recruitment efforts in the future.
    6. Don’t just focus on employer brand when you’re hiring
    An employer brand doesn’t just need your attention when you’ve got roles to fill. If you want to build a strong talent pipeline, you need to have a true focus on your employer brand all year round.
    Rather than forcing applications reactively when you have vacancies, focus on proactively nurturing relationships with potential candidates and engaging with passive candidates online, on platforms like Flexa, and at networking events and conferences all year round. Maintain regular communication with these individuals using the free channels at your disposal. Being consistent in these efforts will pay dividends when it comes to bringing great talent through the pipeline and reducing your cost to hire.
    Employer branding should be an essential part of your talent attraction and marketing strategy. If you’re not doing it, take a few steps to get started. It’s easy once you know how.
    By Beth Carter, Head of Growth at Flexa.
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    Building a Flexible Employer Brand for a Multinational Media Company

    NBCUniversal is a media company with more than twenty businesses in thirty countries, including theme parks, television stations, motion pictures, and premium streaming services. With so many diverse brands and localities, creating an EVP (Employer Value Proposition) that works for all of them is a significant challenge. Anne Hurley, Director of Talent Branding at NBCUniversal, discusses the process of executing an EVP refresh for one of the world’s largest multinational media companies and building the flexibility to activate it across a wide variety of brands and countries in an interview with the Employer Branding Podcast.
    Setting Objectives for Employer Brand
    To articulate an EVP that works for all the different brands, NBCUniversal started by laying out the Talent Acquisition organization’s goals as a whole. They decided on setting objectives around brand awareness and engagement, employee experience, DEI, and recruiting excellence. These objectives helped steer the process and defined what they were trying to get out of their new EVP and how they should measure success across all brands.
    EVP Built on Flexibility
    NBCUniversal is a decentralized company, with properties operating independently. Hurley says, “our job is to influence them at each point of the candidate lifecycle.” They needed to create an EVP that brought everything together and was flexible enough to work equally for NBC News and Peacock streaming.
    They began with a research phase by hosting employee roundtables, looking at internal data collection, and engaging with external vendors. They then took those findings and got together with other internal groups like Corporate Creative and Corporate Communications to distill everything into the tagline: “Here you can.”
    “It’s simple, right? But that’s why it works,” Hurley says, “it acts as a ‘fill in the blank’ where we can insert language at the end of the phrase based on personas, skillsets, or interests. It doesn’t need to compete with our consumer brands—it’s simply complimentary.” For example, for E! News, it might be articulated as “Here you can be Pop Cultured,” or if they wanted to speak to their DEI initiatives, it might become “Here you can be authentically you.” Their EVP is powerful because it can be articulated differently to different personas.
    Activating EVP Globally
    Hurley’s Talent Branding organization has been working to make localization a priority. “Our brand does not resonate with people in the UK or Germany or France in the way it resonates with people in the US,” Hurley says, so they set to work creating a global toolkit to bring everything together.
    Hurley and her team started with focus groups to more clearly identify needs in each global territory and used that information to create localized assets that would align with the organization’s EVP while sharing the same look and feel across all languages. They worked closely with local brand champions to develop these resources, which in turn gives them everything they needed to create their own localized, inclusive content.
    Connect with Other EB Pros
    Hurley advises you to be clear about your internal goals before starting the EVP refresh process, do the research to get a complete picture of your organization and make sure to bring everyone to the table when the time comes to take the following steps. Large organizations come with unique challenges, but best practices exist for developing and activating an EVP. Additionally, don’t hesitate to reach out to other professionals working in the employer branding space. “I’ve made a lot of connections by simply pinging the guests on this podcast,” Hurley says. This podcast includes a way to get in touch with all of the guests, so don’t be afraid to make a connection.

    To follow Anne Hurley’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. To identify the values and culture you want to create in your own company, get in touch.
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    Building an Effective EVP: The Journey of a Bangalore Tech Company

    India’s startup ecosystem has been experiencing a rapid growth rate, with the country emerging as the third-largest startup hub globally, posting record revenue of $227 billion in 2022, according to Mint. This growth has led to a highly competitive market for talent, making it essential for companies to have strong employer branding and an attractive Employer Value Proposition (EVP) to remain competitive.
    To gain insights into creating an effective EVP in such a fast-paced environment, we caught up with Malliga Rajkumar, the Senior Director of HR and Talent Branding Lead at Flipkart, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in India based in Bangalore, which began as a startup 15 years ago with a team of 200 people.
    As a 30,000-strong organization serving 150 million customers across all of India, Flipkart is known as the “startup of startups,” with alums going on to found their successful tech enterprises. Despite its size, the startup ethos of risk and innovation remains near and dear to Flipkart’s heart.
    However, with the tech sector’s growth came fierce competition for key talent, prompting Rajkumar and her team to build and implement an employer branding strategy to ensure Flipkart could compete. Rajkumar’s approach was to ask two simple questions: “What is it about our culture that we want to absolutely retain and rebuild where it may have atrophied? And what are the elements that we want to add on?”
    Developing EVP
    The journey to Flipkart’s EVP was months of extensive primary and secondary research. Rajkumar and her team interviewed people at all levels within the organization, spoke to headhunters, and did market benchmarking with accredited organizations like the Great Place to Work Institute and Mercer.
    In the end, they had a list of all the things Flipkart wanted to be known for and a list of the things talent cares about. The challenge was to find a balance between the two to stake out an EVP that encapsulated what Flipkart stands for while appealing to the talent they wanted to attract.
    They settled on a simple EVP that stitched together all of the concepts they wanted to include in one phrase:
    “Together, We Dare to Maximize.”
    Together spoke to everything they hope to foster in terms of community and collaboration. Dare represents their startup heart by celebrating audacity and breaking boundaries. And maximize represents their ambition to be the best they possibly can be and continuously improve.
    Activating EVP
    Articulating an EVP is only half the battle; Rajkumar and her team still needed to activate it for both employees and candidates. “Together we dare to maximize” is displayed in every Flipkart office. More importantly, that concept and the four pillars that support it are woven into all internal communications, awards, employee forums, and events throughout the year.
    They also measure its resonance each year in their annual employee engagement survey. A team of over 250 employee advocates helps get the word out and shares an honest look at what life at Flipkart is like.
    Aspirational EVP
    Flipkart sees its EVP as aspirational, and they want to ensure that they live up to its promise. Therefore, they used their mission statement to build a 3-year maturity model that articulates every process’s intent, design, experience, and measurement. The goal is to look at everything they do and take the time to align it with their EVP incrementally.
    As always, it is crucial to measure the impact of employer branding to demonstrate its value to key organizational stakeholders. At Flipkart, they compare their engagement statistics to a benchmark list of other companies to assess their performance and identify areas for improvement. Additionally, they have specific metrics for individual campaigns and regularly conduct internal surveys to assess the level of awareness within the organization regarding employer brand themes.
    According to Rajkumar, “Employer brand is not about who you are today; it’s about who you aspire to be.” A good EVP should reflect the organization’s current state and set higher standards for what it can become. Good employer branding presents an opportunity for an organization to improve and live its values, which in turn attracts top talent.

    To follow Malliga Rajkumar’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, get in touch.
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    Developing and Activating a New EVP for an Old Company

    The concept of employer brand is still fairly new to the world of business. Articulating an EVP (Employer Value Proposition) is typically on the agenda of management teams; however, not every organization knows how to go about it.
    Hence I was pleased to chat with Kayla Branham, Marketing Manager of Talent Acquisition at security giant ADT. Most of us will be familiar with this company and brand that has been around for over a century. But what is it like to work there?
    Branham points out that every company has an employer brand or employer reputation. The question is how you manage this and how you can highlight what makes your company stand out as an employer. In this case, Branham adapted Allison Kruise’s 3-step model for brand activation to develop a new EVP at ADT.
    Landing on an EVP
    Step one was to investigate what the current employer brand was for ADT. The research undertaken zoomed in on a number of areas, such as:

    How are we perceived as an employer?
    What is on offer to our candidates and employees?
    What makes working at ADT different from other companies?

    The purpose of asking questions to people around the business was to understand perspectives from all talent groups. The research outcome painted a picture of what it’s like to work at ADT.
    On top of speaking to current employees, the team also carried out external research to determine employer brand perception in the public sphere.
    Establishing the EVP
    One word kept popping up in focus groups: Trust. This particular word happens to be essential to the ethos of ADT and it was a natural place to lay the foundations of the EVP around trust. The governing thought was determined:
    “At ADT, you’re entrusted with tomorrow.”
    Next up, Branham and team identified four pillars of the employer value proposition:

    Take ownership
    Work with a great purpose
    Shape the future
    Win together

    “There’s a give-and-get element to each of them. It’s what team members offer to an employer and what the team member is receiving in exchange,” Branham notes.
    Time to activate
    The EVP was launched at the back end of 2022, and before this, it was communicated internally to various stakeholders and teams. The idea was to stoke interest in the upcoming external rollout.
    Branham and team developed a number of content pieces designed to inspire employees and to create engagement. Videos, LinkedIn banners, and social sharing contests were all part of the plan.
    Looking to the future, Branham will be partnering closely with Talent Management to focus on continuing internal activation and adoption. “We want to ensure that our EVP is a lived experience for our team members,” she says. They know that scaling the employer brand internally is the most important thing for growing external awareness.
    The next stop on the journey is to partner with Talent Management to embed the EVP with the employee lifecycle. By scaling internally, the EVP will manifest itself in the public domain in an organic fashion.

    To follow Kayla Branham’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help with your own EVP, get in touch. We help you identify the values and culture you want to create in your company.
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    Activating Employer Brand as a Science and Technology Company

    Successful employer brand activation is all about thinking globally for this 352-year-old, progress-driven science and technology company.
    Merck Group has dedicated itself to furthering human progress through science and technology. It’s a lofty mission and one its team takes very seriously, particularly employer brand leader Chris Dinwiddy.
    You Value Curiosity
    Merck Group’s EVP, “Bring your curiosity to life,” carries two meanings for Dinwiddy. It invites employees to nurture their curiosity, but it also encourages employees to direct that curiosity toward improving life on earth. Curiosity isn’t just a trait of a great hire; it’s a skill that helps Merck Group make the world a better place.
    Curiosity also motivates the employer brand team’s investment in its ambassador network. With so many markets worldwide (including China, the US, Germany, and others), Dinwiddy has realized the importance of nurturing one-on-one relationships with regional heads of recruitment and demonstrating an interest in their unique region.
    You Stay Innovative
    When courting an in-demand demographic, filling a specific role type, or launching a campaign, the employer brand team relies on SAP SuccessFactors tools and custom landing pages. They keep a close on their Google Analytics and other sources of quantitative data, while also tracking more qualitative feedback (candidate comments like ”I didn’t know much about you before I applied” or “I’ve seen your brand around”) to measure success.
    The team is also trying out a new tool that’s been instrumental in gathering employee-generated content: an app called PathMotion, specifically designed to help candidates connect with employees.
    You Prioritize Humans
    “The recruitment industry’s drifted in the last few years away from corporate and polished,” Dinwiddy observes. Now, candidates are responding more to honest, authentic, and candid messaging.
    For Dinwiddy, this human-centered and end-user-focused culture is key to what makes it a great place to work and such an easy employer to promote. In describing his experience at Merck Group, Dinwiddy offers the same kind of candidness he encourages in brands: “My job’s really special. I work for a brilliant company—and I’m not just saying that because they pay my salary!”

    To follow Chris Dinwiddy’s work in employer brand, connect with him on LinkedIn. For help gathering data and insight that you can act on to improve your company, get in touch.
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    Building Employer Brand Awareness with Global Tech Talent

    Everyone’s looking for tech talent, and the competition within this highly in-demand market is steep. This is the challenge Liz Gelb-O’Connor faces as ADP’s VP/Global Head of Employer Brand and Marketing. Here’s how Gelb-O’Connor and her team are tailoring their employer brand strategy to attract tech talent specifically.
    Building Global Awareness
    As a payroll services provider, ADP pays one out of every six workers in the US and is almost a household name. However, outside of the US, it doesn’t have the same level of recognition as major US consumer brands.
    The employer brand team spent 10 months researching the international talent markets that yielded the most candidates and nurturing relationships with partner organizations in other countries. The result was an EVP localized for each country—a monumental effort that turned out to be well worth it, Gelb-O’Connor says.
    Nurture Future Talent
    ADP’s employer brand team also devotes energy to the very top of the tech talent funnel, those that aren’t looking for work right now but may be strong candidates in the future. ADP’s tech blog, a first of its kind for the company, keeps future talent abreast of industry conversations and news while showcasing the brand’s innovation and the thought leadership of its tech employees.
    The results of this tech-tailored approach to employer brand have been powerful. In the five years since Gelb-O’Connor began leading employer brand, ADP has won industry accolades, and earned a strong NPS score for its candidate experience. Cost of hire has dropped, and the candidate conversion rate for the tech career site is twice the rate of its main career site (despite launching during the hiring slowdown of May 2020).
    This rapid change and growth around tech is one of the things that makes Gelb-O’Connor so excited to lead employer brand at ADP. “It never gets old,” she says. “That’s been the most rewarding thing: seeing how far we’ve come.”

    To follow Liz Gelb-O’Connor’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, get in touch.
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