October Spotlight on Effective Employer Branding

Each month, our in-house creative team spotlights the campaigns and trends shaping recruitment marketing and the wider world of talent attraction. This October, we’re sharing the ideas and innovations that have inspired us, and why they matter to anyone passionate about building a beautiful working world.

Listening as a brand superpower

Every now and then, an ad doesn’t just sell - it resonates. That was Patricia Bejarano’s (Research Analyst, LHH) experience listening to The New York Times’ podcast spot for their Family Subscription Plan.

It didn’t lead with features. It led with empathy.

The ad captured a beautifully human insight: subscribers don’t just read the NYT alone, they share it. And sharing, as it turns out, comes with charming frictions. One person hogs the crossword. Another’s recipes get buried. Reading tastes clash. Then, the host delivers the punchline:
“Ashley, Oscar, Mae… we listened. Here’s the family plan.”

It’s a reminder of what we often say in employer branding strategy: listen to your audience, learn from their pain points, and act with humility.

The bigger lesson? Markets are noisy. Products alone don’t cut through anymore. What does? Showing you get your audience. Ads like this stand out not because they’re loud, but because they’re tuned in. For brands, it’s a nudge to treat research not as a checkbox, but as a strategic superpower. The best ideas often come from simply saying: “We heard you.”

Patricia highlights that this approach is more than just clever copy, it’s about demonstrating genuine care and understanding. In today’s crowded market, the brands that win are those that listen, learn, and act. It’s a powerful reminder for anyone in recruitment marketing: empathy and responsiveness are what truly set a brand apart.

🎥  Here’s a flavour of the campaign

Making careers snackable and shareable

Victor Kamada (Communications Strategist at LHH) has been captivated by the viral ‘Career Ladder’ series, which has taken TikTok and Reels by storm. If you’ve scrolled social media recently, you’ve likely seen the ‘Career Ladder’ guy, standing on a real ladder in Brick Lane, firing rapid questions at strangers to guess their job in under two minutes. It’s simple, fast, and oddly addictive.

But why are millions binge-watching strangers talk about work?

Victor believes it’s because curiosity is universal. We all want to know what people actually do for a living. The show’s quirky format, a ticking clock, a prop, and a big reveal, creates a viral formula that’s both entertaining and insightful. Beneath the fun, it’s showing us a new way to talk about careers, sparking thoughts like, “I didn’t know that was a job.”

Importantly, ‘Career Ladder’ isn’t aimed at active jobseekers. Instead, it reaches passive talent, people who aren’t updating their CVs but might be open to new opportunities if something catches their eye. Victor’s takeaway for recruitment marketing and employer branding: most career content is helpful, but rarely fun or surprising.

What if we embraced the energy of shows like Career Ladder? Snackable employee stories, quirky career questions, gamified moments, and real voices, not polished scripts, could transform how we connect with talent and enhance our employer brand.

Learn more about the show

The power of micro-moments

Katy Stewart (Communications Strategist, LHH) reminds us that candidate experience isn’t defined by big campaigns, but by the small, everyday interactions, like the tone of a job ad, the clarity of an email, or the speed of a callback. While big moments build awareness, it’s the micro-moments that truly shape how talent feels about your brand.

These small, everyday interactions e.g. job ad tone, onboarding experience, automated emails etc. create the ‘gut feeling’ candidates carry with them. And today’s jobseekers think like consumers. They expect seamless, personalised experiences. One poor moment can undo months of employer brand work.

The best organisations treat micro-moments like strategy. They audit touchpoints, invest in UX and tone, train managers, and measure sentiment. Because candidates don’t live inside your campaign, they live inside the journey.

Let’s stop asking, “Does our campaign look good?” and start asking, “How does our process feel, moment by moment?” Because it’s the micro-moments that make or break the brand.

At LHH, we believe in the beauty of work and the power of human connection. These are the stories and strategies shaping our thinking this month. Find out more about recruitment marketing and employer branding solutions.