Marketing

Marketing lessons we can learn from the movies

It’s safe to say that streaming accounts have been working overtime throughout the last year, and it got us thinking… What lessons can we learn from Hollywood movies, and how can we apply them to have a positive impact in marketing?

If you’re still scrolling endlessly through the movies menu and can’t decide on a film for a quiet Saturday night, we’ve put together a watchlist that’s filled with key take-outs for marketers. 

So, grab your popcorn, turn off the lights and get yourself comfy for the premiere of Papirfly’s marketing lessons from the movies.

Oversights can cost you big time

You might have the budget to pour endless time into creative agencies and blue-sky thinking, or to roll out huge global campaigns across every channel you can imagine. But that doesn’t mean you have everything under control… 

“No expense spared” is a phrase that appears throughout Jurassic Park before the inevitable happens; mistakes are made, certain things are underestimated, and the park descends into chaos. Compare that to losing sight of your campaign strategy, and you could be looking at inconsistent assets, materials that aren’t suitable for local markets and incoherent messaging.

In the world of marketing, that’s the equivalent of being stranded on an island overrun with ferocious dinosaurs.

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The lesson for marketers here is to use your budget wisely. Make sure you can take a step back to get a bird’s-eye-view of your workflows and marketing materials, and how they are being used by your teams.

Our verdict: A classic for all the right reasons

“Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge.”

The five Ds of Dodgeball remind us of the benefits of having an agile approach. And, just as importantly, that there are downsides to not having one. Make the wrong move, or move too slow, and your brand perception could take the hit. You also run the risk of missing out on amazing business opportunities because you simply didn’t react.

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Things will always move fast in marketing. So you need to be ready for changes in shopping habits, consumer attitudes, technology, current events and the industry itself.

Taking the time to develop an agile marketing strategy will help you predict these changes before they happen and put you in the position to refocus your approach when they do.

Our verdict: Effortlessly funny and engaging

Know your audience

Just like Sulley and Mike, you might think you’ve got a tried-and-tested way to keep your audience engaged. But when your only trick is serving the same content time after time, it won’t be long before they get tired of it, or start ignoring you altogether.

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Using techniques like empathy mapping is a good way to uncover your audiences’ pain points and position your brand as the solution. While your overarching brand purpose might remain the same, the way you communicate it to your audience will be better aligned with their needs and values.

Monsters, INC. also teaches us that the way things have always been done isn’t always the best. It can be hard to break away from the status quo, but being brave and venturing into the unknown can shake up the entire industry for the better and put you ahead of your competition. Continuous evaluation of your audience can help you find new and uncharted ways to resonate with consumers.

Our verdict: A wholesome story that’s elevated with comedy

Don’t lose control of your content

Sharknado is a movie that shouldn’t have been. And yes, it’s as ridiculous as the name suggests. Starting out as a joke between friends, this low-budget TV movie, complete with bad special effects, terrible acting and a storyline that makes little-to-no-sense, somehow became a 6-part movie franchise.

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It’s a great example of how content can take on a life of its own and go beyond the control of its creators. When you have teams across the globe using different agencies to create thousands of assets and marketing materials, it can be easy for something completely off-brand to slip through the net.

Save yourself a Sharknado by using a digital asset management tool to centralise all your marketing assets, making them easily accessible and adding extra layers of approval.

Our verdict: An unlikely recipe for storyline success

Stay one step ahead

What makes Marty McFly the hero in this movie is his ability to think on his feet and stay one step ahead of Biff, his arch-nemesis. He does this by keeping the past, present and future in focus and anticipating every move before it happens (or happened). 

We also see Doc and Marty learning lessons from failure, adapting on the move, solving problems in the face of adversity and never giving up on their goals. These attributes wouldn’t look out of place in a successful marketing team.

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If you don’t have access to the flux capacitor, then data is your closest thing to time travel. Having a way to collect, analyse and share data will help you predict industry changes before they happen and make those early decisions that will change the course of history for your brand.

Our verdict: Way ahead of its time – in a very positive way

Work smarter, not harder

While we can’t condone skipping school, we have to admire Ferris Bueller’s creativity, boldness and ambition to do things differently. Sometimes you can get more done by breaking the routine and allowing yourself more time for what matters.

Part of the Papirfly vision is to create a world where work doesn’t have to get in the way of life. With the right tools, there are more possibilities than ever to be creative and achieve more in less time.

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So many leading brands are embracing employee empowerment by trusting their team’s expertise, communicating effectively, listening to their suggestions and removing the need for micro-management.

The result is more self-directed employees with a clear understanding of business goals and the confidence to deliver. This not only increases productivity, but creates an environment where teams are enthusiastic about their work.

Our verdict: A must-watch for an entertaining escape

The moral of the story

All great movies have a protagonist, a goal to overcome, and a resolve. This is where marketing and story-telling crossover to take your brand on a journey to discover its purpose, resonate with audiences and achieve your business goals.

As well as a great excuse to put your feet up and enjoy a good film, we hope our movie selection has brought you the insights you need to make your marketing memorable.

Uncategorized

An exciting new era for Papirfly, with the same drive for excellence

An exciting new era with the same drive for excellence

Empowering brands is what we do. Since Papirfly was founded back in 2000, our customers have received game-changing solutions to activate their brands on both a global and local scale. Our success has provided us with the wonderful opportunity to practice what we preach – to fully take charge of our future and activate our own global brand in a new, fresh and exciting way.

In March 2021, we created Papirfly Group as we merged the companies of Papirfly and Brandmaster – two brands born in Scandinavia, with the same global vision to transform marketing operations with innovative tech solutions. Having added Meriworks six months later, with the trust and support of our growth-investment partners, Verdane, we’ve been excitedly working behind the scenes. I’m grateful to everyone within the company, as they’ve all helped play their part in increasing our momentum as pioneers in the Brand Activation Management space.

We’ve recruited and acquired a great deal of new talent in these last few years. As we move forward together to serve our customers with one united vision, I’m proud to announce our launching as one brand identity – Papirfly.

Creating a look that matches our high standards

Evolving as a company and platform has meant that our brand has needed to catch up.

As you can see, our expert design team has created a new visual identity that recognises the legacy of both Brandmaster and Papirfly. Our common personality and professionalism is presented in a bright, energetic and unique style. Rooted in Scandinavian design, our heritage is woven into our DNA – remaining playful, innovative and passionate, reflecting the way we inspire and empower brands.

Our recent growth and development as a notably fresh brand does not change the level of delivery and drive for excellence at this next level of innovation – rest assured, that is business as usual.

In fact, working under one brand means that our teams are working more closely together than ever, creating solutions and developing personal relationships and collaborations with brand leaders. Our customers can still expect to drive their own brands to the next level and unleash the potential of talent within their global teams.

Specialising across various niches – corporate communications, employer branding and the mult-faceted aspects of retail, hospitality and consumer brands – our expansion and evolution benefits everyone. Helping brands build on their foundations to reach greater heights in the coming years. And in unpredictable times, keeping up with and being one step ahead of the competition has never been more important.

The future of brand management

I hope you like our new brand identity. Naturally, we used our own all-in-one brand management platform to manage our rebrand. Whether you’re launching a new brand, going through a rebrand process, or simply looking to achieve global governance and total brand consistency, we’re excited to serve forward-thinking brand teams at the start of their own new adventures.

Connecting your message across your own people is essential, as is staying on-brand and aligned to that message with customers at every touchpoint. Every person across your brand deserves to excel in their role. There’s a better way to empower your marketing teams – and with a fresh new look brand, we’re more ready than we’ve ever been to help you grow and succeed.

Marketing

Does the classic Christmas ad need rethinking?

It’s that time of year again, as people up and down the country get their first glimpse of this year’s Christmas adverts. These highly-anticipated ads bring a welcome distraction from the monotony of the year and gently move us into the embrace of the festive season.

2021 has been no exception, as several leading brands have already showcased their holiday offerings… 

John Lewis

For many, John Lewis is the benchmark for all Christmas ads in any given year. This year’s effort is everything you’d anticipate from them – a heartwarming story, loveable fictional characters and a goosebump-inducing soundtrack.

However, this ad has faced a fair amount of backlash and apathy in comparison to their previous offerings. A quick scan through their YouTube comments showcases this sentiment:

  • Nothing will ever beat (insert previous ad here)
  • I didn’t get any Christmas vibes from the advert
  • It was formulaic and melodramatic

Whether it is a case of previous years setting the bar too high, or the ad didn’t encapsulate the Christmas spirit as John Lewis has in the past, their 2021 contribution is undoubtedly polarising.

Boots

Boots leaned on a touch of celebrity for their advert, telling the story of Jenna Coleman and her magical #BagOfJoy, gifted to her by her nan.

It is a whimsical story that stays completely on the Christmas message, with Jenna using her infinite bag of gifts to treat her friends and family, with the final heart-tugging scene of her giving her nan her own gift.

Again, a scroll through the YouTube comments puts the spotlight on one word – ‘lovely’. That’s the Boots ad in a nutshell, a sentimental, traditional and uplifting tale.

M&S

Meanwhile, the M&S 2021 Christmas ad hones in on humour by bringing lovable character Percy Pig to life.

With great voice-over work by Tom Holland and Dawn French, this ad sees Percy revel in his first Christmas, with Dawn’s fairy showing him all of the delicious food on offer this year (conveniently skipping any pork products!)

While significantly shorter than the other two, this injection of humour and the adorable characters will be sure to capture the imagination of many.

The making of a classic Christmas advert

As these three distinct ads demonstrate, every year the stories that brands tell battle it out to become the one that resonates most with the general public.

But often the bid to stand out ends with very similar outputs. While Coca-Cola’s ‘Holidays are coming’ stands firmly in a category of its own, many other brands fall into the trap of producing repetitive narratives and production styles that have left the iconic Christmas ad format feeling a little tired and formulaic, such as:

  • An adorable protagonist
  • An acoustic cover of a well-known pop song
  • An unexpectedly touching ending
  • An accompanying product range for said protagonist
  • An original strapline to tie it all together

Many would argue John Lewis’s 2021 effort fits firmly in these parameters, which is maybe why it has received a middle-of-the-road response. And while there is undeniable creativity and effort that goes into these adverts, their stories may no longer be enough to engage audiences that have endured two years of real-life plot twists and an endless stream of emotionally-fuelled messaging from brands. 

Below we’ve highlighted some Christmas classics that helped to lay the path for iconic holiday promotions, and what brands can do to take a leaf out of their book this year.

While internet shopping and mass closures plagued the brand, Toys R Us is set for a mini-revival thanks to Macy’s. Prior to all this though, their advertising was highly effective, and while this ad dates back over three decades, there’s still a lot it can teach brands of today…

What can brands learn from Toys R Us, Magical Place?

We briefly mentioned covers of famous songs as one of the strings brands have to their formulaic ad bow. But if you take a look at this advert, one of the first things that stands out is the original music. 

Composing a jingle or song that sticks in the minds of consumers is of course an incredibly difficult task, but the lesson lies more in the level of commitment and effort that went into it. 

Hiring someone to perform a cover, along with the legalities of using a well-known artist’s song doesn’t come easy, but it’s been done so many times before. John Lewis even managed to get Elton John to sing and star in their ad back in 2018. 

So unless brands put a completely new twist on a song, they will only continue to out-celebrity each other with covers for so long. We know that music is an integral part of many Christmas adverts – usually resulting in the original or cover song re-entering the charts – so it’s important that agencies move away from the standard cover format if they want to bring something new to the table. 

Change the words. Switch up the genre. Surprise people with its delivery. Give the opportunity to an unknown artist. Make it instrumental and let the story speak for itself. 

How the delivery looks will vary from brand to brand, but one thing’s for sure – audiences will only react to acoustic covers of Oasis and Coldplay songs for so long.

Though Yellow Pages ceased printing in 2019, it’s a brand that’s still imprinted in the minds of multiple generations. Since going digital ‘Yell’ doesn’t need to release TV ads like they used to (they’ve had some great ones, you can watch them here), but this particular Christmas ad can teach brands some traditional and modern lessons.

What can brands learn from Yellow Pages, Mistletoe?

With the rise of TikTok, busier lives and shorter attention spans, short videos now make frequent appearances on social media. This advert from Yellow Pages is under 20 seconds, yet it tells a powerful story that highlights the product it is trying to push.

We learn that the book is so thick and comprehensive that the young boy is able to use it to gain significant height. It engages, it informs and it tugs on the heartstrings with its Christmas mistletoe spin, all with just 4 words of narration and 19 seconds of footage.

With many of the modern Christmas ads, we usually have to endure much longer sequences, not seeing any payoff or surprise until the last few seconds. A good strategic move for many reasons, but wouldn’t it be clever if a brand could tell their story and leave a great impression in much less than a minute?

Imagine a powerful series of shorts that stood out from the long-winding adventures of woodland creatures and animated vegetables to deliver Christmas messages that were concise, on-brand and equally as effective.

A brand needs to get across a lot, and with Christmas adverts usually being amongst the most expensive to produce, it’s understandable to want to say everything in one go. 

Exploring shorter stories to create a connection, spark intrigue or encourage an action could help your brand stand out.

This wholesome TV ad effortlessly captures the spirit of Christmas in exactly a minute. Featuring many traditional elements of a holiday scene – Santa, Christmas tree, soft glowing lights – this was one of the most iconic adverts of its time. This advert, though over 30 years old, could still land well on screens today. Let’s explore why…


What can brands learn from Kellogg’s Cornflakes, Ho Ho Ho?

The power of nostalgia in advertising can never be underestimated (Sainsbury’s proved this back in 2014 with their ‘1914’ Christmas ad). Since the end of 2019 many doubts have been cast on the future by media outlets and politicians. Reminiscing about the past and simpler times is a great way to bring back hope and revive the Christmas spirit.

This could take the form of introducing a well-known character from the past, capturing the essence of particular decades, bringing back historic brand adverts, or simply encouraging a tech-free, family-focused season. The simplistic nature of the ad is what gives it such broad appeal.

And after a succession of catastrophic events, audiences will want to reconnect with times that have gone by in a way like never before, and feel hopeful about the future. 

Which brands’ Christmas ads will stand out this year?

We expect to see some brands really push purpose and socially-driven narratives this Christmas. From saving the environment and the Christmases of the future, to taking brave political stances on global events, there is going to be some breaking of the traditional formula in more ways than one. 

Brands and agencies that take this approach will need to be cautious of ‘purpose fatigue’, be creative and ensure that whatever actions follow the TV spots match their holiday focus.

On the other hand, we are likely to see brands wanting to inject happiness and humour into uncertain times. We therefore believe we will see some imaginative and borderline offbeat approaches that will thwart the traditional TV ads. Expect clever and curious direction, feel-good stories and optimistic stances on the future. 

What audiences will engage with best remains to be seen, but as each person has responded so differently to the pandemic, it would be impossible for brands to hit the mark every time. There will be some people who want straight-talking sales and promotions ads, and others who crave humanisation and big-scale gestures from brands. 

One thing that’s guaranteed is that brands across the world have a fantastic opportunity to round up the events of 2021 in a truly creative way, and set the tone (and bar) for 2022.

Employer brand

Attracting graduates: a new wave of employer brand

The graduates of today are the future leaders of tomorrow. So getting your company noticed at a pivotal time in the careers of these bright young prospects is crucial.

Gen Z and beyond have experienced turbulence much like any other generation. But when it comes to the outlook on careers, the environment and the future, they have been exposed to a much thicker wall of negativity, which employers will have a partial responsibility in helping them break through.

Employers need to not only work hard to bring their employer brand to this new wave of prospects – they need to inspire this generation into believing anything is possible once again. It’s a big challenge, but it’s a vital one to ensure that the right talent is nurtured, retained and driven in the right direction. 

Overcoming challenges with graduates

There are typically two main scenarios employers are finding themselves in with graduates.

  • They are inundated with applications for certain roles
  • For more specialised roles, there is a smaller pool of talent and competition is high

First let’s look at the most common situation: receiving too many applications.

This can be a problem for a number of reasons that will affect your ability to recruit quality graduates…

Problem…Too many people with similar skill sets are applying and it’s difficult to distinguish who might be most suitable based on their application alone, suggesting there’s a flaw in the application process.

Solution…If you are using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), there should be options available to introduce more detailed screening questions. These answers should give you insight into an applicant’s personality, communication skills and general motivations for the role before considering their skill sets. 

Your team should also set some common rules for what a good applicant looks like. For example: they must include a cover letter, they must have tailored their cover letter to your company, they must have a nicely presented CV – those kinds of things. This sets parameters that can help you weed out those who haven’t made the effort. 

Additionally, ensure your employer brand’s mission and purpose are coming through enough on your job creatives – give candidates an accurate feeling of what it’s like to work for your brand, and they will likely deselect themselves if they don’t feel they are a good fit.

Problem…Too many applicants are under-qualified for the role they’re applying for – this may mean the application process is too easy or the information provided is misleading.

Solution…If you’ve been a victim of the ‘Indeed effect’, where applicants are just clicking apply to your role even if it’s not aligned to their skills, you can consider the following ways to reduce the amount of unsuitable applications you are receiving:

  • Consider promoting your roles on more specialist jobs boards, as this will prevent the vacancy from being accessible to anyone and everyone 
  • Review your advertising creatives – are they giving out the wrong message about the roles? Is the company’s expertise shining through? 
  • Make sure the essential skills, experience and qualifications are clearly defined in the job description or landing page 

Problem…There’s no time to view the volume of applications coming through with any kind of detail – leaving you missing out on talent and those who don’t hear back feeling disconnected to your employer brand.

Solution…Again, this is where putting in some key filter questions can come in handy. You can use the answers to help determine the quality of the application before committing to reading the CV cover to cover.

For more high-level roles, you may ask the candidate to include a portfolio or include a short task as a first or second stage of application. Make sure this is clear in your job description, as plenty of people who don’t have the skills you need won’t want to proceed based on that request alone.

Lastly, ensure your ATS is set up to give automated responses to applicants. Make it clear that if they are unsuccessful they will not be contacted (providing that there’s no time to respond to each individual), but be sure to encourage them to apply for future roles again after 6 months, a year, or whatever time frame you choose. 

Next, let’s explore scenario two: small or hard-to-reach talent pools for specialist roles. 

This can also create an equally overwhelming amount of problems for your team.

Problem…Your specialist roles aren’t being filled because your offering isn’t strong enough. 

Solution…Graduates in niche industry areas are likely looking for the role that’s going to benefit them and their careers the most.

When looking at your employer brand, think beyond just the salary and benefits. What are the candidates actually going to benefit from by being your employee as opposed to another brand? 

Candidates need to feel excited about the future, not just the initial role they’re taking. Financial security and a decent roster of benefits are an expectation for many and alone are often not enough to inspire a big career move. 

Problem…You may be losing talent to competitors. 

Solution…When an applicant turns down your job offer for another opportunity elsewhere, it’s important to keep the window of opportunity open.

Ask them politely what your company can learn from their experience and what they could be doing differently, and add them to future candidate pools. Teams can then follow up in 6 months or a year via LinkedIn to make them aware of any new roles available. 

Problem…You are not receiving a decent quantity of applicants.

Solution…Reviewing the media placements of your employer brand advertising should be your number one priority. Are your teams promoting the roles in the right places? Are they targeting aspiring developers with ads on Facebook instead of Reddit? Or hiring for a remote role in very specific locations?

Consider putting out an incentivised survey on LinkedIn or appropriate channels to gather first-hand insight into where someone might look for a specific role. 

Problem…You are struggling to find the exact skills needed for your specialist roles.

Solution…Graduates aren’t going to come with the exact skills needed to join your organisation and hit the ground running from day one. In the longer term, it’s worth really thinking about how important these skill sets are to the business. Do they warrant creating a company-sponsored degree? Or an in-house training programme? 

These kinds of opportunities help to mould prospects into the kind of employee your brand needs, and give them on-the-job training and experience. It’s a very time-consuming commitment, so you need to be sure that the investment is worth the outlay and disruption. 

What are the priorities for graduates?

Depending on the industry and the individual, priorities for graduates will vary from person to person. A recent study by Bright Network did help to shine a light on what graduates as a whole are prioritising, some of which we’ll explore here…

They want to be upskilled

95% of members want to be upskilled directly by employers. Having a clear path of progression and training allowance can help graduates understand how your company can take their career to the next level.

They want a genuine commitment to inclusivity and diversity

Many employers preach about inclusivity but fail to live up to the reality. Having HR provide training on important subjects such as unconscious bias, celebrating a wide range of holidays, a commitment to fair pay and having dedicated strategic training programmes are all small steps every company can take towards becoming more inclusive and diverse. But a few gestures aren’t enough – the commitment must be ingrained in your employer brand.

They want to know that employee mental wellbeing is a priority

53% of Millennials were already burned out from work pre-pandemic, up to 59% today. Gen-Z is a close second, with 58% reporting burnout post-pandemic, up from 47% in 2020. While working from home orders and more flexible working have been introduced because of the pandemic, it doesn’t mean the workload has reduced in any way. Having a company show they put people before profit and prioritise mental health will be a key driver for many graduates.

They want to work for a company that’s actively reducing their environmental impact

If graduates are painstakingly separating their recycling each week, using metal straws and reducing their carbon footprint, they want to know that the company they work for is doing their bit, too. It’ll take more than an annual beach clean to impress candidates too – the products, services and practices your brand undertakes need to work hard to reduce short and long-term impact. This is increasingly becoming a dealbreaker for candidates. 

Does your employer brand need to work harder to accommodate graduates?

With only 42% of students saying they feel prepared to enter the world of work, being there for them at this confusing time can help them build a stronger connection to your employer brand.

Make sure the application process is clear and uncomplicated. Don’t avoid questions about salary and progression. Have your company’s mission dominate your employer brand. They are the talent of the future, and in many cases the talent of right now too. 

How you communicate your employer brand is vast – social media, emails, videos, adverts and more. Staying on top of your messaging and adapting your creatives with a constantly moving market can be a challenge – but BAM by Papirfly™ can help you digitise your employer brand, simplify your processes and help teams create infinite promotional materials every month. 

Find out more or book your demo today.

Digital Asset Management

How to meet management requirements when investing in a DAM

You may have heard the expression DAM? Or you have heard colleagues talk about it? Probably because these days, content is EVERYTHING. 

Companies and digital systems

In today’s society, all companies have the need to invest and adopt technology that enables competitiveness and increased revenues. With a large selection of tools, it’s difficult to find the right course. Everyone would like a product that pays its own dues and anticipate where in the lifetime cycle you will break even. 

Continue reading “How to meet management requirements when investing in a DAM”

You may have heard the expression DAM? Or you have heard colleagues talk about it? Probably because these days, content is EVERYTHING. 

Companies and digital systems

In today’s society, all companies have the need to invest and adopt technology that enables competitiveness and increased revenues. With a large selection of tools, it’s difficult to find the right course. Everyone would like a product that pays its own dues and anticipate where in the lifetime cycle you will break even. 

Continue reading “How to meet management requirements when investing in a DAM”

You may have heard the expression DAM? Or you have heard colleagues talk about it? Probably because these days, content is EVERYTHING. 

Companies and digital systems

In today’s society, all companies have the need to invest and adopt technology that enables competitiveness and increased revenues. With a large selection of tools, it’s difficult to find the right course. Everyone would like a product that pays its own dues and anticipate where in the lifetime cycle you will break even. 

Continue reading “How to meet management requirements when investing in a DAM”

Employer brand

Actionable tips for solid employer brand governance

Why is employer branding important?

One of the biggest mistakes in employer branding is that it can easily become disconnected from what drives it in the first place — the core mission and values of your business. This is what defines your company and should come through in everything it says, does and creates.

When constrained to your HR department, or only associated with superficial perks, your employer branding is missing its potential to create a company-wide impact on everything from your talent attraction and employee retention, to your output and – ultimately – business revenue.

A positive employer brand is something your company should be shouting about, and not just in the office. As well as being a way for potential candidates to get an insight into what your work environment is really like, it gives consumers a chance to see the human side of your brand and what it really stands for. 

Your employees will thank you too. By communicating with your staff to understand the things they love about their work, how you can make it even better for them, and what drives them day-to-day, you can put them at the centre of your employer branding and foster a positive company culture. The benefits of a people-first employer branding strategy include better staff morale, more chances to improve their skills within the company and a better chance of creating advocates for your brand.

Establishing strong brand governance is the first step to getting everyone in your company on-board with your employer brand and become brand ambassadors — from C-Suite execs, to new interns.

What is brand governance in the context of employer branding?

Brand governance is integral to achieving this level of consistency at scale and across local markets. At its core, brand governance is a way to make sure everything that’s produced by your brand is aligned with the same consistent thread that encapsulates the look and feel of your brand, the way it behaves and what makes it unique.

While successful employer branding needs to be governed and embodied by senior leadership teams, the same core values, mission and sense of purpose need to reach everyone in the company, even if they are based in multiple locations.

Below, we’ve outlined the top considerations for making your employer brand shine with watertight brand governance.

6 steps for governing your employer brand

#1 Understand cultural nuance

If your company has employees working in different locations, then your employer brand strategy needs to go further than just one office. Without taking cultural nuances and work practices of each market into account, you run the risk of your messaging completely missing the mark, or worse, actually offending your audience and harming employee engagement. Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that your messaging translates word for word in every country, or that your images will be received the same way. Your company culture has to translate for the local culture.

Taking an employer brand campaign global isn’t just a case of switching the languages. To avoid any embarrassing miscommunication from your employer branding activities, you need to find a way to align the central values and purpose of your company with what resonates with employees, candidates and consumers in specific locations.

#2 Accommodate different candidate pools

Across the board, organisations with a diverse workforce benefit from faster growth, a boost in reputation and a large global impact. If you only seem to attract the same kind of talent, then it’s probably a sign that your employer branding only resonates with a small talent pool. 


Again, this is a case of working to better understand your audience and the different motivations, concerns, challenges and priorities within them. To attract and retain a truly diverse range of candidates, you need to think beyond the obvious categories and make sure that each is represented in your employer branding strategy.

It’s then important to communicate with authenticity, using messaging that you can back up with the way your company behaves.

#3 Get organised. Get a DAM.

When your employer branding is on a roll, and you have watertight brand governance to ensure global consistency, your teams are ready to produce assets to their heart’s content. Almost.

To avoid the chaos that can come with global asset production, they need somewhere to store, share and structure the materials they created using a Digital Asset Management system (DAM). Having a visual, well-organised filing system will make finding and sharing relevant assets quick and easy, and prevent your brand’s materials being misused.

#4 Keep your EVP consistent

For your employer value proposition to make any real impact on your brand it needs to land in the same way, anywhere your company operates. Without understanding how they translate in different local markets, your core values and purpose are at risk of being misinterpreted, or meaning something totally different depending on where you are in the world. Ultimately, you need to take steps to provide the consistent message your people need.

When you include teams from across the globe in your brand governance, they’ll have a clear understanding of how to implement it in their local markets.

#5 Simplify sign-off and approvals

In the midst of global talent recruitment campaigns, staying on top of approving hundreds of marketing materials accurately and in time for launch can be time-consuming, not to mention a stressful task for brand managers.

For the peace of mind that all your materials are consistent, accounted for and ready for market, having a streamlined approval process is essential.

#6 Get a hold of your assets

Avoid the unnecessary confusion of tracking down recruitment branding assets and materials by storing and sharing them from one location.

This can be made even easier if you can set permissions to ensure that individual teams only have access to assets created for their local markets and specific campaigns.

Tools for implementing strong brand governance

There is a wealth of branding software available that will make controlling brand governance a whole lot easier for you and your teams. In fact, the choice can often get a little overwhelming. Before you lose yourself in comparisons and reviews, here are the key features you need to look out for.

Template creation

Having a template is one thing, but making them bespoke is another. Smart design templates from a brand management platform make it easy to set predefined parameters to give your teams the freedom to be creative without veering off-brand.

Work from a centralised location

Through digital marketing brand portals, you can combine creation, management and storage. With one centralised location for everything that encapsulates your employer brand, your teams can align on guidelines, processes, approvals and more.

Make global brand alignment a reality

Through digital marketing brand portals, you can combine creation, management and storage. With one centralised location for everything that encapsulates your employer brand, your teams can align on guidelines, processes, approvals and more.

What’s the point of working so hard to define your Employer Value Proposition if your entire company can’t see it? 

Open up stronger collaboration with global teams with a tool that allows you to bring them to the same location to find your brand’s most up-to-date assets and brand guidelines.

Data protection

With so many brands already seeing the benefits of employee advocacy, having an up-to-date resource of assets and imagery featuring real staff is becoming of greater importance. 

Make sure your chosen branding software allows individual employees to sign off the usage rights for imagery in which they are featured to follow guidelines – General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU, or equivalent for your region.

DAM

There are lots of Digital Asset Management Systems out there, but without the extra features and capabilities needed to make your employer brand shine, very few offer an all-in-one subscription solution.

It’s a huge advantage to have creative suites, templates, planning and analytics features built-in. This keeps things simple, with everything your teams need in one place. Plus, there’s no need to manage multiple subscriptions. DAM alone won’t be enough to solve your problems, but alongside a brand management platform it’s a powerful tool.  

With the right tools for watertight consistency, successful employee engagement and easy asset management, you can put your brand’s best foot forward for attracting and retaining talented employees.

Global ​employer brand governance is crucial to attract and retain talent

The enormity of the tasks outlined in this article may feel daunting, but there are solutions out there that can make it all a straightforward reality.

At Papirfly, our dynamic brand management platform is transforming the way teams manage their employer brand through a centralised online portal. Teams get the tools they need to create, share and manage campaign assets across the world – and maintain total brand consistency.

Brand management

The key to better brand development

Brand development is a cornerstone of business growth. With the sheer scale and complexity of developing a brand, which only increases as the brand grows bigger, an organised approach is necessary to be successful. Between brand guidelines, digital assets and campaign planning, there are a lot of moving parts among a rising number of employees and stakeholders. Keeping it all organised and under control only becomes more challenging as the scale of your brand increases, unless you have a good software solution in place to simplify the brand development process as a whole.

A single source of truth


It can’t be understated how important it is to get your digital assets organised, and make them easily accessible for the people that need them in your company. If your files and assets are in disarray and spread in all directions, stored on the designer’s computer or in a mess of folders in a cloud storage service, a lot of time is wasted trying to track them down.

There might even be old versions floating around that employees will come across. If they don’t find the right assets, they might resort to using outdated material or creating their own from scratch that breaks with brand guidelines. The consequence? Weaker brand recognition in the market due to inconsistent and ambiguous presentation, which in turn leads to loss of revenue.

With Papirfly’s Brand Hub you get a single source of truth that stores everything in one place, and is accessible by all employees and stakeholders. No more wasting time searching for missing files, and no risk of having old and outdated material in circulation, causing harm to your brand. When you can be certain that every asset is always on-brand and up to date, you can focus on brand development instead.

Central control – local empowerment

CEO of Jaguar Land Rover Ralf Speth once said: “If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design”. The second someone can’t find digital assets or the material they need for a new campaign, they will most likely create something themselves. These assets can quickly end up breaking with brand guidelines and dilute your brand, and so this situation must be avoided to preserve your brand’s integrity.

Our platform not only gives you complete control of your brand, it also empowers permitted users to create and tweak marketing material using your digital assets. By making your brand templates available online and linked to your brand guidelines, your graphical assets are ready for self-service across all your markets and time zones, with no risk of off-brand material being created and published.

Always available

An online solution simplifies brand development. It provides greater flexibility and empowers your employees to be more autonomous, so that your marketing team can focus more on brand strategy and campaign planning.

This also allows brand managers to present and share all details and content related to the brand with ease across the entire organisation and to collaborators.

Control your brand in real time

If you are responsible for brand development, our brand management platform will provide you full control. Changes in your brand guidelines happen in real time and you always have full insight into how, when and where your content is used. In addition, we have solutions that allow you to create and execute branding initiatives with simplicity and make sure your launch is smoothly completed and reaches your designated target groups – always on brand.

Brand Hub – One home for your brand

One single source of truth. This is Brand Hub – your online portal connecting your people with every aspect of your brand.

A marketing portal where brand assets can be accessed, brand guidelines can be understood and the tone of voice, values and personality of your brand is there for everyone to see.

  • Showcase brand guidelines with clear examples for employees at all levels of the organisation, across every location.
  • Easy to use and update in real time, build your Brand Hub to your own specifications with the help of modules and pre-built functionalities.
  • Connect with other tools in Papirfly’s all-in-one brand management platform to unleash the full benefits, with features including Digital Asset Management, Template Studio, Marketing Planner, Collaboration Tool and Reporting and Analytics – everything you need to activate your brand.

Brand Hub is a home for your brand – a base of operations from which you can manage your brand and work on brand development with greater efficiency and coordination. Transform the way you work and help your brand come alive with Brand Hub.

If you want to read in more detail about what Brand Hub can do, and the problems it will help you to solve, download our brochure here.

The best way
to manage your brand.
See it in action.

  • Boosting revenues
  • Doing more for less
  • Activating brands on a global scale

How technology fuels employer brand transformation

Learn how technology streamlines rebranding, strengthens brand governance, and empowers teams to create engaging, on-brand content at scale.