Employer Brand Management: Practical Lessons from the World's Leading Employers

Chapter 21The Next 10 Years

‘Never make a 10 year prediction … always make a 25–50 year prediction because no one will be around to check up on your forecasts.’

Nicholas Negroponte

Ten years ago we bet on the durability of the employer brand concept. It was new. Was it a fad or was it a keeper? The jury was out. The verdict is now in. Employer brand management is here to stay. When the first book was published a Google search of the term ‘employer branding’ delivered around half a million results. It now delivers seven and a half million. There were only a handful of people with some form of formal employer brand management accountability in 2005. It is now commonplace among the majority of leading global employers. There were many people who felt that the term ‘employer brand’ would be left behind when the economic downturn led to a dramatic decline in recruitment activity. It wasn't. Organizations will always need to compete for the best talent, in the same way they will always need to compete for customers and consumers. Brand management will continue to evolve, but the core principles – close attention to the needs and aspirations of the target audience, focus on distinctive benefits, and marshalling of a consistently positive brand experience – remain centrally relevant to organizations' desire to win the hearts and minds of talent and in doing so, build and sustain a winning business.

So how can we expect employer brand management to evolve? Here are ten ways I expect ...