Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen)
Television
THE BRIEF
Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) is widely recognized in the Netherlands, but not always in a positive way. As with any transportation organization, delays caused by weather and other factors inherent in providing such service can have a negative effect on the organization’s reputation as an employer.
By Dutch standards, Dutch Railways is a large employer with vast recruitment needs, which includes professionals with various levels of education, such as graduates, professionals, technical skilled employees and train conductors. Each of these distinct target groups have different motives for changing careers; therefore, the company needed a focused approach and messaging that was unique to each audience.
TBWA\Job Company was asked to develop an integrated corporate recruitment campaign that would establish a more positive employer brand, and could also be utilized to recruit train conductors.
THE SOLUTION
TBWA\Job Company’s strategy entailed the creation of a mood, not necessarily of a brand. A mood that would establish a positive foundation for the employer brand, which would be unequivocally appealing, irrefutable and factual, and create excitement.
The brand created was relevant for all target groups and reflected three values: complexity, service and continuity. The fact that Dutch Railways services one million passengers a day is impressive, considering there are 16 million inhabitants in the Netherlands, and reveals an authentic perspective on this employer. For conductors and other train personnel, Dutch Railways’ level of service means continuity and contact with a lot of people.
The employer proposition became: “Be a conductor. An audience of millions, everyday.” The campaign included the production of three TV commercials that aired on national television, advertisements in national newspapers, as well as online ads placed in niche Web sites.
THE RESULT
The use of TV commercials in combination with the Internet provided outstanding results! Dutch Railways received thousands of requests for additional information, the quality of the candidates improved, and the application-to-interview ratio was 10% higher than experienced in previous recruitment efforts.
The campaign was so successful that the second phase of commercials and ads were no longer needed, as the recruitment target had already been reached. And the fact that all three TV ads swept the TV category at the 2004 Employment Management Association Creative Awards in the U.S. was simply icing on the cake.
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