Hewlett Packard: Global Employer Brand

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4/23/2009

A TMP Success Story

Challenge

Success Story

Hewlett Packard (HP), a Fortune 100 company with operations in more than 170 countries around the world, was in need of a refresh so that their employer brand messaging would better reflect the changing culture of the organization and provide a platform for talent attraction. In 2008, they came to TMP to develop a new employment brand messages and a campaign that would achieve the following goals:

  • Improve candidate attraction
  • Attract "best fit" leaders to HP on a global level
  • Resonate with HP's Employer Value Proposition
  • Reinforce HP's high-performing culture

Solution

The HP Employment Brand Team & Global Staffing partnered with internal stakeholders and TMP to create a brand framework (one global message that could be implemented locally) for the new campaign.

TMP worked with HP to align the new employer brand messaging with current HP brand & marketing messages. This brand framework included Message Mapping, Focus Groups, Global Strategy, new Creative Concepts ("Stretch Strive Succeed") and the development of an Employer Brand Tool Kit , which supported their overall business strategy and was relevant to their Employee Value Proposition.

Tactics

TMP conducted Leadership Interviews to understand management's vision for HP going forward. Additionally, TMP held Internal Focus Groups which gave us insight into the realities of the HP workplace today. It was important for the campaign to resonate with existing employees, as well as support their five key hiring targets.

Competitive analysis conducted using the TMP Message Mapping System, provided a snapshot of competing employer brands. Data obtained through the Message Mapping system functioned as an indicator of the advertising and messaging efforts against which HP will be positioning. In addition, it enabled TMP to identify positioning opportunities so HP could rise above the static produced by other organizations.

Furthermore, a message platform was developed with supporting proof points for each audience to help influence the creative concept development. These creative concepts were tested in External Focus Groups across markets to determine resonance and connection to the positioning and creative execution. The test markets included: Moscow * Tel Aviv, Israel * Warsaw, Poland * Frankfurt, Germany * Bangalore, India * Singapore * Beijing, China * Houston, TX * San Jose, Costa Rica * Silicon Valley, USA.

Following the external focus group research, the final concepts were approved and a global HP Employer Brand Toolkit was developed. TMP helped HP uncover key employee perceptions about work environment, uniqueness, global capabilities and innovation. Enclosed below is a brief example of the findings.

Why would a candidate choose HP as a place to work?

HP is the largest technology-focused company in the world — an organization that has defined what it truly means to be global (beyond location). Even with its Fortune ranking (Fortune 14 in US & Fortune 41 globally), HP has experienced growth normally associated with start-ups, with more upside ahead. HP continuously creates and succeeds in new categories, resulting in a constantly changing organization that can offer a career journey that is multidimensional (lateral and up), enabling employees to do different things year to year. This is supported by a passion for customers and respect for the individual, the hallmarks of a high-integrity workplace.

The HP work environment is open, collaborative, and innovative, populated by highly engaged people. It is a fast-paced, high-performance workplace, offering challenging work from the onset with rewards for high performance.

The experience of working at HP is unique compared to other companies in its sector. With its roots as a values-centered company, a clear strategic direction, and its strong technology orientation, HP is a truly global company ($114 billion) with incredible upside. It is a company comprised of really bright people who are driven to do what is right for the customer.

External Focus Group Feedback:

  • Emphasis on personal success and the various elements that support this idea are most compelling.
  • Environmental and social responsibility messages are appreciated and interesting but are not compelling enough to drive interest in employment.
  • Copy should be devoid of American-centric ideas.
  • "Stretch" and "succeed," when given proper context in the native language, are viewed very positively and connected to the idea that "HP is inspiring me to win."
  • Respondents were caught off guard whenever the HP logo was in a color other than blue.
  • Complexity is seen as clutter. Simplicity is seen as clarity.
  • When people are present in the advertising, there is a greater connection with the purpose of recruitment.
  • Every market is distinct.

Results

The HP Employer Brand Toolkit was developed and deployed to ensure consistent communication across the globe to each target audience. The toolkit includes: headlines, images and body copy for web banners, brochures and flyers, press ad templates, posters, booths/quick screen designs, handshake cards, HTML emails, a sample job posting template and a profile. TMP will continue to monitor progress and work closely with HP throughout the life of the campaign.

Creative Samples

TMP's final creative concepts included a question and answer theme and were supported by the tagline: Stretch Strive Succeed (see images).




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