#leaddontfollow

Description

Burson-Marsteller is a PR agency with a conservative reputation: customers going through a crisis like this, competitors find it boring. The recruiting campaign has changed this: the headlines are provocative, the design splashy. The core idea reflects the attitude to life of the applicants, the claim of the agency: “#leaddontfollow“. The hashtag is present in social media: the images are shared, tagged, recommended. Success: on everyone’s tongue, more qualified new appointments, employer image boosted enormously.

Statement of the jury

Loud, colourful, provocative and self-confident headlines about employment give Burson-Marsteller a design the stands out from the usual recruiting efforts. The core idea mirrors the attitudes towards life of its target audiences and Burson-Marsteller’s statement to its employees: “#leaddontfollow”. The hashtag opens the campaign up to the world of social media. It appeals directly to the type of person that Burson-Marsteller is looking for: People who take the lead instead of just following along. Very original and precisely on-point. Extremely well executed.