Employer Branding for Hidden Champions: sustainable growth strategies for Severn

Client Issue

Severn Consultancy is a management consultancy firm based in Frankfurt am Main. Since its foundation in 1999 the company has built up an outstanding reputation in the financial services sector. Clearly focusing on banks and special issues in the back office area, as well as the implementation of the latest regulatory requirements (e.g. Basel II, SOX, MARisk, MiFID), Severn has achieved a good position in the consultancy market. This forms the basis for further growth which, however, involves demanding targets with regard to recruitment and binding of employees. The company aims to almost triple its workforce within three years.
In recent years, it has increasingly been recognized that this kind of employee growth within a difficult labor market (many consultancy firms are currently in a growth phase) cannot be achieved with existing methods and procedures (advertising, recruitment agencies, etc.) alone.

Method of Procedure

The management team’s wish was to create the basis for a sustainable growth strategy by means of a sound and integrated employer branding concept. The project was implemented with Promerit AG in five phases:

• within the framework of target group definition and analysis, the relevant target groups were identified, analyzed and precisely described. With regard to Severn this applies in particular to graduate executive trainees and consultants with first experience in the financial sector.

• Building on the preferences of the target groups, offers of the competition and Severn’s working conditions, a strengths-and-weaknesses profile of Severn as an employer was drawn up. 

• The weaknesses identified were discussed with senior management with regard to improvement potential; Severn’s quality as an employer was significantly increased, e.g. by improving the range of further training it offered.

• The relevant strengths and improved offers were formulated into clear messages on the basis of the target group’s preference pattern. In addition, suitable channels and sourcing measures were defined, with which the target group could be reached directly.

• The content was implemented in the shape of high-quality target formats along the sourcing plan, with which Severn can now also assert itself against big competitors, for example with a new careers website, brochures, and presentation, advertising and text templates.

Services of Promerit AG

Promerit AG supported the project from the outset with regard to the central components:

• conducting employee and executive interviews during the analysis phase

• conducting the market study

• establishment of the strengths-and-weaknesses profile; definition of improvement potential with regard to employer quality

• devising content and messages

• identification of channels and definition of sourcing strategy

• steering of an agency during creation of target formats

• “Proof-of-Concept”: application of the materials and messages produced by Promerit recruitment consultants in direct contact with candidates.

Client Benefits

Promerit’s claim to always apply employer branding in direct contact with candidates from the relevant target groups helped Severn to position itself alongside the competition very clearly and in a focused manner. The initiative was worthwhile - Severn continues on a course of growth and has greatly sharpened its profile both in-house and externally.