Employer Branding And Company Branding: Two Sides Of The Same Coin

We have known Google and Apple as the best places to work, from employees’ perspective. However, we also know that these two organizations enjoy a powerful reputation with the customers as well. So does this mean a greatly admired brand will also be an exceptional place to work? Not necessarily.

‘Employer Branding’ and ‘Company Branding’ are two different terms; both are used for marketing, but for different target groups.

‘What company brand is to customer, employer brand is to employee.’

With talent scarcity, recruiters need to understand the importance of communicating the Employer ValueProposition(EVP). Let’s understand what this means. EVP is nothing but “Why” an employee should join the company – “What’s in it for him?” Culture, pay, benefits, opportunities, etc. constitute the EVP. This ‘benefit’ of joining the company is communicated through the Employer Brand. Basically, employer branding showcases to prospective employees why a company is a great place to work. Just like the corporate branding showcases to prospective customers why a product/service is good to buy.

The term “Employer Brand” was coined in the 1990s. Initially, the ownership of ‘Corporate Branding’ lay with the Marketing function; Human Resources managed ‘Employer Branding’. However today, the way at which Employer Branding is looked at has changed. Employees act as the new employer brand ambassadors. With open communication channels, what and how employees speak and behave create a perception about the company. Thus employer branding has become more ‘transparent’, ‘in the face’ and ‘live’ than “corporate branding”. Corporate Branding still remains a more carefully curated perception that the company wishes to generate in customers’ minds.

While the elements of Employer and Corporate Brand may differ, they must act as two sides of the same coin, talking complementary languages. Only the target audience and context has changed. The underlying intent of employer and company brand remains the same – to attract and retain people.

For a complementary approach, conjoint ownership of these two by Marketing, Corporate Communications and Human Resources is the key to put forth a holistic brand.

Reckrut can help you with smart, technology-based recruitment techniques. Get in touch with us today to know how.