MI5, MI6 and GCHQ offer great professional appeal and prestige, but graduates are also uncertain about what the roles actually entail. With so many roles on offer, and the fact the Intelligence Services did not have a consistent creative identity, it can be challenging to convey the employee experience to early career audiences. Penna’s early careers campaign needed to make agencies’ values relevant to all while promoting a new, more reassuring narrative that reflected the working culture.

The campaign began with research into what students across a range of groups thought about the agencies, and what they would like to see in terms of their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. While they were drawn to the excitement of the organisations, they had concerns about the pressures involved. ‘Surprise Yourself’ aimed to bring together the branding of the three agencies and create a unique branding device using bespoke illustrations. Content was focused into three themes: challenge (what do the agencies do, how they make an impact); curiosity (opportunities for learning); and culture (support networks and commitment to ED&I).

A graduate brochure launch in 2023 generated more than quadruple the views of the old brochure in 2022, seeing spikes around graduate fairs. More students said they felt they understood the roles well or very well, and almost nine in 10 said the opportunities were more appealing after reading the brochure. Virtual careers events across multiple platforms generated tens of thousands of clicks, alongside campus activity at more than 50 universities. Sign ups from target audiences have increased significantly and students’ feedback about the messages was overwhelmingly positive.