The Campaign

There are no restrictions on branded content in China. We chose the digital channel for two reasons. First, our research showed that jobseekers in marketing, under 30, go online to seek information on companies before going anywhere else. Second, we needed to educate them about what media investment management is all about (and perhaps dispel any potential myths about it being only boring number-crunching). Branded content provided the ideal solution. Our biggest challenge however, was to create content that was authentic, informative and not obviously a promotional campaign. Although branded content is at an early stage in China, consumers are highly sensitive to marketing messages. If brands push messages at them they simply switch off. So our approach was to let the candidates in our show give their honest opinions – to let them talk and be the ambassadors with whom our target audience would engage.

Results

We created an online recruitment show about young media hopefuls looking for their first break in our industry. It was our way of recruiting China’s top marketing talent under 30. Our challenge was to address the fact that most were unaware the media investment management industry even existed, let alone what we do. So while they were planning their futures with famous brands like Apple and Google, we were being overlooked; we needed to change this. We wanted GroupM to be an employer of choice for young talent. Our research showed talents want to work for leading employers to gain access to great resources, collaborative cultures, healthy working environments and visionary leadership. However, we couldn’t just tell candidates that we provide all of these; we had to show them. So, we invited cameras into our offices to showcase the industry and the opportunities we offer. Our 10-webisode series, called 'GroupM Young Power', was broadcast on Youku.com. Each webisode put 10 young interns through their paces with real-life media industry tasks. It was a contest to win a permanent media job within GroupM’s four China agencies and a one-month training placement at one of our worldwide operations. The series featured media heavy-weights to inspire candidates, such as Hong Huang, CEO of China Interactive Media Group, and Li Meng Xia, a famous and long-time media veteran. They offered their personal assessments and critique of the contestants’ performances. China’s marketing industries had never seen anything like this before. It created so much excitement, that awareness of GroupM soared by 913%. It was also a great recruitment tool. In post-campaign research, 75% who watched the show requested career information. Two-thirds said they would consider working at GroupM. In just 4 weeks, over 15,000 high-calibre candidates got in touch with hopes of working at GroupM.

We drew those already working in marketing to our online show about a recruitment competition through coverage in the trade media. They made up half of our target audience as they would already have some important skills we need. We promoted the show to marketing newcomers – undergraduates and professionals outside our industry – online at Tencent, Sohu, Tudou, iQiyi, MSN and Douban. We also promoted the trailer at events within China’s leading universities and ran taxi advertising aimed at office workers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

o Our online recruitment contest got people talking; awareness of GroupM soared by 913%. o More than 15,119 high-calibre candidates contacted us in just 4 weeks. o The show generated over 350 Million impressions. o Our webisodes attracted over 1 Million online viewings (against expectations of 200,000). o In post-campaign research, 75% requested career information and two-thirds said they would consider working at GroupM. o Delivered huge ROI of 5 views per RMB (CPV 0.19 RMB), more than 5 times higher than the website committed average reach/cost. o Traffic to our website during the campaign increased by over 500%. o More than 27 targeted media covered our story, including AdAge, Mediapost, Marketing, MadisonBoom, Media 360. o The campaign successfully delivered perceptions of the company as being; creative, young, attractive, passionate and professional.