Heritage accountancy firm, Saffery, lacked brand awareness and was struggling to stand out in a competitive talent market. It needed to develop a human, inclusive and relevant employer brand that would complement its new corporate brand, and show its thriving culture to candidates. To do this, it conducted qualitative and quantitative research of a representative cross-section of 55 colleagues. This was accompanied by competitor analysis, leadership interviews and a series of focus groups. From this, it created a strategic insights report that showed the key themes of its EVP.

This revealed that Saffery’s competitive advantage lay in its ability to compete with the Big Four accountancy firms in terms of clients and calibre of work, coupled with the personal approach to colleague (and client) experience. Its new EVP – ‘The firm where potential meets personal’ – captured the individual experience of working at Saffery alongside its shared values and collective strengths. This formed the central concept for the creative, which showed ‘hero’ colleagues living the brand by offering a personal approach.

The project team designed the launch and communications plans, plus the creation and delivery of engagement assets. These include the Saffery Story Book, which showcases the connection between Saffery’s past, present and future, focusing on people and stories, rather than clients and products. An employer brand film shows Saffery colleagues as the heroes of the story and sits alongside another film focusing on equity, diversity and inclusion. People experience, talent attraction and marketing teams were given an EVP toolkit, and the careers site was updated in line with the new brand. All colleagues and new joiners received goody bags at launch.

Through a workshop with key stakeholders, the team identified those key ‘moments that matter’ and mapped the reality against employees’ aspirations, and this became the foundation of its people strategy for the year. Both internal and external engagement has increased significantly, Saffery has saved thousands by moving recruitment in-house, and the campaign delivered 45 validated applications in just eight weeks.