Reimagining Graduate Recruitment for a Leading FMCG Retailer

Business challenge

A leading FMCG retailer sought to attract ambitious graduates to its flagship Area Manager Programme. Despite a strong reputation, the brand faced challenges in differentiating its offer in a crowded market and meeting the evolving expectations of early careers talent. The objectives were clear:

• Prioritise graduate needs and deliver a seamless, engaging recruitment process
• Retain a top 10 position in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employer list
• Win industry awards for campaign excellence
• Showcase the reality of the programme and the company’s inclusive culture
• Drive high-quality applications from diverse backgrounds

Our solution

We partnered with the client to completely refresh their graduate attraction strategy, focusing on digital innovation, user experience, and authentic storytelling.

Key Actions:

• Split brochure approach: Historically, the graduate brochure combined multiple programmes, leading to navigation challenges. We created separate brochures for the Area Manager and Placement Programmes, allowing candidates to access relevant information quickly.
• User-centric design: Reviewed and simplified structure, content, and navigation. Reduced animations for faster loading and a cleaner look.
• Authentic storytelling: Featured testimonials and quotes from current Area Managers, bringing the programme to life and building trust.
• Diversity & inclusion: Showcased a diverse range of colleagues to reinforce the message that everyone is welcome and can succeed.
• Digital engagement: Developed an interactive digital brochure with clear navigation, colleague testimonials, quizzes, and direct application links.
• Sustainability touch: Distributed QR codes on eco-friendly seed cards, aligning with the company’s commitment to corporate responsibility.
• Targeted university outreach: Delivered 101 events, including careers fairs, panel events, pop-up stands, and webinars, engaging all UK universities.

Execution

• Digital brochure:
• Clear contents page for easy navigation
• Interactive elements: quizzes, testimonials, week-by-week programme breakdown
• Scaled-back colours to focus attention on content
• Direct application links and scenario-based quizzes

• Graduate advert:
• Clean, information-rich design
• Prominent display of rewards, benefits, and development opportunities
• QR code for instant access to the brochure

• University outreach:
• Eco-friendly seed cards with QR codes
• 46 events at top UK universities, plus virtual sessions for nationwide reach

Results

Campaign Effectiveness (Aug 2023 – Mar 2024):

• over 3,000 applications received
• 518,000+ page views (up from 180,000+)
• 5,143 visits via QR code (up from 2,813)
• 2,924 quizzes taken (up from 656)
• 31,000+ new users (up from 13,000+)
• 4,500+ returning users (up from 2,000+)
• 1.54 million minutes engagement time (up from 1.39 million)
• 101 total events (46 at top UK universities)

Conclusion

By focusing on candidate experience, digital innovation, and authentic storytelling, this FMCG retailer not only elevated its employer brand but also delivered measurable results and industry recognition. The campaign inspired a new generation of leaders, reinforced the company’s inclusive culture, and set a new benchmark for graduate recruitment in the sector.

“This is the best brochure that I have seen. It’s incredibly easy to navigate and the information quality is superb. The presentation is very catchy and makes you feel excited by the opportunity.”
UCL finalist

“The inclusion of quotes from workers makes it more appealing to graduates as they can trust in personal testimony.”
Birmingham finalist