In this three-part series, you will learn how broadcast and out-of-home media can be powerful mediums for employer branding, direct response, and employee testimonial campaigns. Part 1 in this series of articles will touch on using these media outlets to generate awareness and excitement for employer branding objectives.

You've spent a lot of time and energy creating your employer brand - now what do you do with it? What media vehicles do you utilize to help communicate to your audience that you truly are an employer of choice? Two of the obvious media choices are print and online, but have you thought about using out-of-home or broadcast media?

Movie theatre and billboard advertising both fall under the out-of-home media umbrella. Following are examples of how each can prove to be powerful media vehicles when unveiling an employer brand.

Movie theatre advertising is an effective way to communicate and expose your employer brand to a local marketplace and a wide range of demographics. Individuals who visit the cinemas are more likely to recall a message because distractions they face at home such as telephones, computers, remote-controlled devices, social distractions, etc. do not apply. In fact, The Arbitron Cinema Advertising Study 2007: Making Brands Shine in the Dark reports 59% of moviegoers recall having watched commercials in the theatre before a movie began, on their most recent trip to the movies. Being that only 79% of theatres run commercials prior to a feature film, this number is impressive.

Billboard advertising provides employers an excellent medium to establish long-term branding within a local marketplace. In The Arbitron Outdoor Study: Outdoor Media Consumers and Their Crucial Role in the Media Mix, 96% of Americans say they have traveled in a vehicle either as a driver or a passenger in the last week, exposing the message to a broad audience. Vehicle drivers/passengers and pedestrians are exposed to billboards without a choice. In fact, some people travel past billboards on a daily basis. Because the individual is spending more time with the employer brand, there are higher recall rates and the brand recall is stronger. Locations can be strategically placed on busy highways, interstates, local roads, near new offices or stores, and competitor sites.

Radio and television (broadcast and cable) advertising falls under the broadcast media umbrella. Following are examples of how each can prove to be powerful media vehicles when unveiling an employer brand.

Radio provides a niche reach, targeting the passive job seeker and impulsive prospect, and is ideal for branding. Attracted by different music and/or talk formats, listeners can be targeted by age, gender, educational background and/or various other demographic components identified through quantitative and qualitative rating information. Radio is personal and connected to emotions. Its ads can be relevant when written appropriately for the target audience and can be well-received and highly-accepted by the target audience when produced in a manner appropriate for the station's format.

Television advertising is primarily used to reach passive, impulsive prospects through consistent, long-term presence with brand messaging. Specific cable networks and broadcast programs can be targeted both demographically and geographically based on the viewer's profile, along with particular programming in which the advertisement will be aired. The visual impact of TV commercials captures and holds the audience.

A Shaker high-tech client has been using billboards as a way to brand themselves as an employer of choice for over six years. Headquartered in the Midwest, they run billboard campaigns across the country, targeting their competitors locations. In instances where key competitors have layoffs, this client understands the significance of having an integrated media mix in attracting top qualified candidates and will incorporate radio and print to increase their visibility in the local marketplace.

Overall, broadcast, and out-of-home media encompass a wide array of advertising options, including radio, television, outdoor (billboards), transit, direct mail, airport advertising, etc. that provide effective ways to reach the passive job seeker. (For an overview of the various media included in this category, please refer to page 4 of the Winter '07 edition of the Human Capital Times.) Employers typically want a qualified and experienced candidate and most likely that particular candidate is already employed. By understanding the type of candidate you want to reach, including age, gender, lifestyle habits, education level, etc., Shaker will help you determine which media will allow you to get in front of that candidate with a recruitment message where they least expect it, but where they are most likely to be impressed and motivated by the message.

Contact Shaker's Innovative Media Services (IMS) Broadcast and Out-of-Home department at IMS.broadcast@shaker.com to see how we can help further your employer-branded message with your desired audience.