The Hindu Business Line : Those grand job ads

THEY'VE gone from being modest and monotonous to being bold and beautiful. Appointment ads have become creative, stylish, colourful, descriptive, voluble and boastful. (Many "unnecessarily so," and even "flippant" and "fatuous," as some say). Even the black-and-white ones are no longer the look-alikes of drab tender notices; there is scope for creativity here too.

This is life post-IT and post-ITES — the days of having to draft entry-level employees in several hundreds or thousands within short deadlines, of challenges to retain employees whose reasons for job-hopping could be as simple as "because my friend is also working there" or the usual ones of higher pay, more experience, better opportunities and such. As an adman puts it: "Just take a look at Chennai's Old Mahabalipuram Road (now dubbed the IT highway and home to many IT and ITES companies) with its huge buildings. How different are they from each other? Every office you go into is the same - cubicles with computers and people ... many of them are even designed by the same architect. In this scenario, it is important to differentiate one's company from a rival's, and that's what's driven the change in recruitment ads."

Brand building

For most companies, it's an opportunity for brand building. Says U. Jairaj Rau, Vice-President & Client Services Director, JWT, Chennai, "There are hardly any corporate campaigns in print. Companies are combining that with recruitment." These advertisements hope as much to retain employees as much as they do to attract. "They face both ways," says Arup Kavan, Managing Partner (South), Ogilvy PR Worldwide, O&M.

"Given that many technology and operations companies do not have domestic clients it is often the only advertising they do in India, and naturally a lot of effort goes into them," says Jessie Paul, Global Marketing Head, iGATE Global Solutions. "The job definitions are often similar and the differentiation is the career options, work culture, and kind of clients you can work for, so that becomes the dominant theme in the ads." She adds that recruitment ads are used only when a sudden burst of awareness is needed but that the focus is on word-of-mouth publicity.

"The employer is a brand! Which company we work for defines to a considerable extent our self-image and also our projected image. So it's important for employers to be visible in the media and convey the `right' message to build equity in the minds of current and potential talent pool, and also the public at large. The ultimate Holy Grail is a top-of-mind brand to work for," says N. Arun Kumar, Vice-President (HR Services group), R.K. Swamy BBDO.

"You have to create a DNA for these companies, endow them with a soul. Saying you are a fun place to work in is not really going to swing a candidate's choice or prevent him from moving on. Internal communication can do a lot to make employees feel good," says Jayraj Rau, giving the example of a client who calls his former employees "alumni" and includes them in certain activities because they may return as coveted employees or clients later on.

"Today, we try to unravel what is brewing in the potential employee's mind. What are the triggers and barriers to change jobs? How does years of experience affect his thinking? What are the aspirations and fears? R.K. Swamy has pioneered psychographic segmentation of technology professionals in Asia," says Arun Kumar, who adds that this insight-based approach has led to "refreshing and creative" ad campaigns.

However, creativity is only a small part of the whole effort. It is important, but not all. Applications come in response to the company's pedigree and brand equity. On the flip side, those in the know say that many IT and ITES companies don't recruit employees based on the responses to their ads! This is only to reassure shareholders that the orders are pouring in, they say.

That said, there is the view, however, that these genre of ads are fast becoming passé. Says Pavan Padaki, Director (Creative & Planning), brand-comm: "There are several overused superlatives which are increasingly becoming clichés: Cutting-edge technology, innovation, revolutionary, stand out/ career on the fast track, leading players / leaders in ... what's so special about all this? Appointment ads have to move to the next level - there has to be a re-think on the size, format, colours, visuals ... maybe there should be an element of humour too, just like the regular ads."

"They are not outlets for creativity from a conventional perspective," says JWT's Rau. They are more text-driven and sometimes dictated verbatim and major ad agencies don't care to do one-offs. This has given rise to a crop of agencies which specialise in recruitment ads. Some major agencies have specific departments to cope with this need, while some companies have in-house ad agencies to draft ads for them.

Very often, for companies the pressure of having to employ people in hordes prevents them from spending time over it. "I don't think there is too much method in the madness," says Kavan of O&M, after a quick but very vocal analysis of the week's recruitment supplements spread out on his desk. "As it is, recruitment ads haven't been given enough attention; with the BPO boom it just got worse," he says, pointing to an ad which uses the words "ball game" and illustrates it with pool table balls, and to another which says "rule the world" (or something to that effect) and shows a person perched on top of a satellite picture of Planet Earth. In fact, opinion is divided on the extent to which pictures and graphics help the purpose of the ad.

Another problem with the ads is one of credibility. Says A. V. Vedpuriswar, Dean, ICFAI Knowledge Centre, Hyderabad, "The claim made by a company must be consistent with its stature. An unknown company should not make very tall claims. They do not sound very convincing. In the case of some companies, confidence emanates from understatement, and Google's a good example."

War for talent

Another aspect of this issue is that very often, expensive newspaper ads are not considered to have good returns on investment. "There is a war for talent in the market and there are a variety of channels to get people - head hunters, job fairs, FM radio, e-recruitment, member-get-member. But a newspaper ad serves to let a company establish its presence, make a statement. These ads communicate a lifestyle, a work situation. But it's difficult to recall/identify an ad with a company a few hours later, which means it's not making a strong impact. But again, it's important for a company to reach out, so a newspaper ad can't be replaced in that need," says E. Balaji, Executive Director (Staffing Solutions), of recruitment consultants Ma Foi.

"Newspaper ads are good at driving spikes of interest in a company but they reach a diffused audience and hence, are an expensive medium. Online job sites are more effective for a narrow-casting approach," says iGATE's Paul, who has also worked in advertising. "In today's market, often the person the companies want to hire isn't actively looking for a job and needs persuasion. Hence the focus on `interesting' ads." But in many cases the jobs are too specialised and too few in number so advertising in a newspaper isn't necessary. The persuasion is better achieved through personal meetings. "Very few companies have used the full range of media available for recruitment and I think that is what the market now requires," she says.

The recruitment supplements market is estimated at Rs 250 crore. An eight-year-old trend, supplements are no longer only for the job seeker. They are also targeted at the person who wants to do his job better. They carry information on how to prepare for interviews, work strategies and etiquette and career prospects in various industries. The large-size, colour ads that cover the front and back pages account for 20-25 per cent of the recruitment ad revenue. Recruitment ads as a whole contribute about 14 per cent of the ad revenue for large English newspapers, says a marketing executive.

Another trend that has caught on is that of job fairs organised by the publishers of these supplements. So isn't that a contradiction? "It's a brand extension," says the executive. Job fairs actually result in jobs, and the cost per hire is extremely good. To the advertiser, it helps establish the newspaper as a "destination", showcasing its response potential, and to the readers, it replaces the newspaper with infrastructure and a huge choice under one roof," he explains. Despite this, supplements will remain profitable as recruitment is an ongoing process and companies want to be seen as recruiting people constantly, he says.

Advertising circles think the days of the big and in-your-face ads are drawing to a close, that the trend will burn itself out in another year or two. Wait and watch to see what they and their clients have in store for each other!

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
The power of contrast

Landline reforms

Those grand job ads

The Abby Nite

For a larger share of voice

In confidence

Selling is a contact sport