QinetiQ

How a consistent yet constantly evolving communications campaign maximizes your employer brand impact

Over the last 10 years Qinetiq has become one of theworld’s leading science consultancies. QinetiQ emerged as an independent commerical enterprise in 2001, having previously (as DERA) been responsible for the UK government’s defense research and development. An important contributing factor to its success has been its ability to build a strong employer brand reputation among the best science and engineering graduates, evolving its campaign advertising over time to reinforce its credentials as a cutting edge innovator in a highly competitive talent marketplace.

2003/04 Campaign – Start Making Science History

The first year’s campaign had to do a big job by launching a new brand to a discerning graduate community and Qintetiq had to compete with big payers who had built their reputations over years and with substantial budgets. They needed to focus time, energy and money on a select candidate profile – so the first step was to identify universities and courses which would produce the graduates QinetiQ were looking for in order to communicate directly with them, while ensuring broader engagement through web-based tools for the wider audience.

A bold campaign was developed, harnessing QinetiQ’s distinctive brand colour consistently across all materials. The multi-award winning ‘Start making science history’ campaign generated 6,000 responses, enough to fill all of their 310 vacancies with the right caliber of people and showed QinetiQ ranking 53rd in the Times Highfliers survey from a base of zero awareness the previous year.

2004/05 Campaign – Modern Life is Rubbish

They achieved a great deal in terms of brand launch and recognition in the 03/04 campaign so the results, feedback and comments from this were fed in to inform both the strategic and creative approach for 2004/05.

Going back on to campus to ensure a successful creative approach for that important second year was key. This meant QinetiQ could target even more effectively. ‘Modern life is rubbish’ generated over 8,000 applications, resulting in even better quality applicants and even greater brand recognition for QinetiQ.

2005/06 Campaign – We Make it Look Simple

Research from the previous campaign showed that QinetiQ was making great strides in building momentum within the graduate community but they needed to explain more clearly how they provide simple solutions to complex scientific and technological problems. This campaign portrayed QinetiQ as making the impossible a reality with the minimum of fuss and a child-like curiosity, creativity and ease.

A range of branded messages with light-hearted but informative copy as well as the use of children’s book illustrations were produced to really bring the technology and projects to life.

This year also saw an initial goal realized – 19 recent joiners returned to their universities to act as QinetiQ campus managers, enabling all on-campus activities to be transferred from a 3rd party supplier to QinetiQ employees. They were responsible for building QinetiQ’s presence on the ground, building links with tutors, lecturers and the careers services. Business cards and campus manager guides were produced for them to equip them with all the support and information they may need.

2006/07 Campaign – It’s Time to Get Inventive

The “It’s time to get inventive” campaign saw the departure from the QinetiQ blue and the introduction of photography to make the case studies more real. A range of materials were produced which the campus managers used at the target universities.

2007/8 Campaign – Mind Over Matter

This campaign reflected how QinetiQ had evolved as a business over the past 4 years, taking the expertise gained into the defence arena and using it in the commercial field. A range of campaign materials were produced including, for the first time, a campaign-specific website.

2008/9 Campaign – The Real Transformers

2008’s campaign continued to highlight the way in which QinetiQ transforms expertise gained in the defense arena into applications for the commercial sector. For instance, adapting eye-tracking technology created for fighter pilots to help golfers improve their swing. Another key element to the campaign was to incorporate the message that QinetiQ was sponsoring a team in the South Pole Race. Team QinetiQ included James Cracknell and Ben Fogle, who were being prepared for and supported throughout the race by QinetiQ technology.

The resulting campaign communicated how QinetiQ has taken technologies created in one arena and transformed them into a breakthrough in another – including how QinetiQ’s experience in creating Armed Forces ration packs for extreme environments helped James and Ben in the South Pole Race. Supporting material included a unique 100% recyclable brochure made from Polypropylene (plastic to you and me) with Thermochronic ink on the covers which changes colour when cold. Supporting all these materials is the website, which includes video profiles, a Team QinetiQ game and a matching tool. They also visited 5 universities in November with an inflatable 8 meter igloo.

The campaign was proven to be a huge success with 52,344 visitors to the website, 260 students took the ice challenge, applications increased by 36% and the number of applicants through the assessment center up by 19%.

2009/10 Campaign - Where Ideas Become Reality

The 2009/10 campaign was all about ideas – the tiny flashes of inspiration that lead to multi-million pound projects. People who are full of brilliant ideas owe it to themselves, and everyone else, to ensure that they build their careers with a company that will help those ideas become reality. A company like QinetiQ, will provide the amazing colleagues, world class technology, unique research facilities and unstinting support to turn inspired inklings into incredible products that solve seemingly impossible problems.

The campaign involved five very different case studies (illustrated in lyrical, idea-related headlines) that show how ideas become reality at QinetiQ. The center piece is the ‘Where ideas become reality’ blender – positioning QinetiQ as a place where thousands of people’s ideas are blended together to create amazing new products, services and technologies.

The series of campaigns illustrated above demonstrate how the best recruitment advertising maintains a healthy balance between fresh ideas and brand consistency. This requires a very close relationship between the client and agency team. As Steve Luckhurst, the HR Director of QinetiQ during this period, commented: “We don’t think of aia [worldwide] as just our agency. They are like an extension of our team. We trust them implicitly to make the most of our brand and our budget.”

If you’d like to discover more about applying similar employer brand management practices to your own organization, please contact Stuart Hatchett: stuart.hatchett@aia.co.uk