IHG needed to address a workforce shortage by enticing new and experienced talent back into the industry. It wanted to build a powerful employer brand campaign that elevated the sector and careers in hospitality; that elevated its employer value proposition through storytelling; and drove applications to hotel roles. Colleague experience would sit at the heart of this strategy, using relatable, authentic stories of colleagues in a variety of roles, locations and backgrounds. It chose LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok depending on the audience.

Repeatable video formats communicated IHG’s three EVP pillars: Room to grow; Room to belong; Room to make a difference. One format (How it started vs How it’s going) showed career journeys of employees from apprentices to general managers. Another showed pairs of colleagues answering questions about their hobbies, highlighting the bonds built at the company and showcasing its diverse and inclusive workforce.

The campaign produced 50 videos and 1,000 images covering three countries, six hotel brands and featuring 175 colleagues. These were posted across IHG’s social channels and shared via colleagues’ personal accounts so they could maximise reach. IHG then engaged with the community in real time. IHG increased its follower community to more than 1.5 million, up 13% year-on-year, and organically reached almost 8.5 million people. The launch of the IHG Careers TikTok channel grew followers by 83.8%, and social activity drove 3.58 million visits to the IHG careers site, with social the second largest source of traffic and applications.