Make Your Employer Brand Go Viral by Adding a Little Music
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Katz maintains a YouTube channel full of pitch-perfect cover songs on which he sings and plays every single note. He's not exactly the type of person you'd expect to see profiled on a site dedicated to recruiting and HR.
But Katz has found a way to breathe new life into employer branding and recruiting campaigns through music, as in his recent partnership with the startup Campus Pursuit.
Katz and Campus Pursuit collaborated together on a parody of One Direction's "Perfect," which uses the hit song's catchy melody to introduce potential employees to Campus Pursuit's business and encourage them to apply. Then, they shot a video – complete with lip-syncing Campus Pursuit employees – and sent it out into the world. Check it out below:
"Campus pursuit had seen my videos, so we set up a meeting and spoke about ... a way to make one of my videos help their business," Katz says. "We decided that it could be a great tool for recruiting new students."
According to Katz, the whole process, from song concept to edited video, can take less than two weeks – a relatively small time investment for such a powerful return.
"Music is probably the best communicator to get any type of message across," Katz says.
He has a point. A well-crafted song will stay in someone's head for days on end. How often has a job posting done the same? Even the most engaging job description pales in comparison to something as simple as a commercial jingle.
Could Musical Recruiting Be the Key to Attracting Millennials?
While Katz notes that "everybody loves music" – and really, who would disagree? – he does believe that musical campaigns like the one he created with Campus Pursuit resonate especially strongly with millennials due to their inherently viral nature.
"I think [music videos] are a great tool for attracting millennials because so much of their life is based on social media," Katz says. "The whole point of these videos is to be shared with everyone."
Millennials tend to pay attention to the latest trends lighting up their Facebook and Twitter feeds. While no job opening will ever be that hot, a clever, catchy parody song might have what it takes to launch an employer brand into viral stardom.
Music Builds Stronger Team Bonds
The music videos Katz produces don't just impact the potential hires watching them; they also boost morale and engagement among the employees who get to work on producing the videos.
"It allows [employees] to be creative and share their talent with everyone," Katz says.
A lot of employees love having the chance to show off their skills and work on exciting, creative projects. Music-video recruiting can kill two birds with one stone by attract new hires while giving existing employees a refreshing break from their routines.
And even your camera-shy employees can get in on the fun.
"The ones who are too shy to be in front of the camera get different jobs, like writing the lyrics or filming," Katz says. "Everyone gets involved."
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Ultimately, Katz believes that music videos have applications outside of recruiting and team-building. In fact, he thinks they can be valuable tools regardless of the message or the motive.
"It works for every company, every part of the company," he says. "I did another video for a different company about safety, not about recruiting. This medium works for everything."
If you're looking to breathe new life into some aspect of your organization – whether it's the employer brand, the consumer brand, your training programs, or something else entirely – it may be time to start singing and dancing.