THE OBJECTIVE: HUMANIZE INDEED TO BE A HIRING PARTNER, NOT JUST A TOOL.
Indeed is the No. 1 job site in the world — with over 300M unique visitors every month, and helps employers of all sizes to find the ideal candidates for their business needs.
Indeed approached Insider at a time of turmoil in the marketplace. The “Great Resignation’” tightened labor markets, leading to understaffed businesses nationwide in desperate need of quality candidates.
Indeed’s competitors, hungry to capitalize on the situation, increased spend +59% YoY. With no employer brand advertising to date, Indeed’s growth stalled as perception challenges prevented them from standing out from the pack — they had to show they were much more than a generic jobs board.
Small business hiring is personal, intimate, and innately human. Without the benefit of large HR teams, the struggle to find quality candidates is as emotional as it is functional. One bad hire can hugely damage company culture, so hiring is an important, personal choice — like adding to the family. That moment of human connection in hiring is far from mechanical, but as a huge global platform Indeed was seen as a cold, interchangeable machine — not a true partner.
The primary objective was improvement in consideration among SMB decision-makers, with secondary objectives focused on deeper brand metrics:
OVERARCHING IDEA: SHOW HOW INDEED IS PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE SMB HIRING JOURNEY.
Many SMBs feel alone and isolated trying to hold it all down. Surveys show that one-third of SMBs say running a business is harder than anticipated, and recruiting employees is their second-biggest challenge. The ideal campaign would lend a hand in hiring, offering them empathetic support and actionable tools.
But Indeed had to find the right partner: A trusted resource for SMBs, that’s both compassionate and informative, and could create native content (given it increases affinity perceptions 1.5x versus regular ads).
Coverage of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) is core to Insider’s DNA — and millions of readers enjoy articles that not only include strategies and advice for SMBs, but also real-life examples of SMB owners and executives, and how they’ve overcome challenges to achieve success.
Insider and Indeed first identified an existing editorial section related to HR that was a fantastic contextual fit. In a first-of-its-kind editorial partnership, Insider and Indeed partnered to completely re-imagine this page to create Talent Insider - a dedicated, interactive platform to serve as an informational and inspirational resource for SMBs.
This new editorial hub provided real utility to SMB owners by bringing forward content that might have otherwise been behind Insider’s pay wall. Content explored four key principles: trusted resources, human voices, timely support, and outcome-oriented approaches. New articles included strategies and tips for SMB hiring and other HR issues.
The program also included:
Results provided to judges only.
