NOW Recruitment is one the UK’s leading recruitment consultancies for the construction industry in the UK. With a head office in central Birmingham and five regional branches all over the country, the company has risen turnover from £14 million to £20 million in four years. Competing with much bigger companies such as Hayes Montrose and Blue Sky (part of Carrillion), NOW is keen to set itself apart by demonstrating how close the company is to the sector it serves. Previous PR activity had focused upon raising awareness about the company but with ambitious turnover growth targets for the forthcoming years, NOW was keen to raise the stakes. As well as increasing its profile in the construction sector, NOW also wanted to focus on the recruitment industry to attract the best candidates to join now as consultants.
• To position Now’s founder and Managing Director Gary Redman as a spokesman
for the recruitment sector in the construction industry
• To promote Now Recruitment as the consultancy of choice for the construction
industry for both clients and candidates
• To demonstrate that Now Recruitment is an exciting and rewarding place to work
• To promote the expertise of other key branch and division managers at Now
• To educate the market about the value of using construction industry specialists
with sub-divisions expertise particularly technical and mechanical & electrical
• Managing Directors, HR directors and CEOs of construction companies
• Site Managers
• Careers Advisors
• Self-employed construction tradesmen
• Professionals building their careers in the construction industry
• Recruitment professionals
The strategy for the PR campaign was to focus upon media relations in the trade media serving both the construction and recruitment sectors as well as the powerful regional media that serves Birmingham, the home of Now’s national headquarters; not least because the building industry in the city is going through a renaissance with key infrastructure projects including the rebuilding of the famous landmark the Bull Ring.
The focus of the campaign was to profile how Managing Director Gary Redman had built the Now business and how the owner-managed company was in better shape than its much larger competitors to get close to its clients and the construction sector.
To promote Gary Redman as the ‘voice of the construction recruitment industry’, Montpellier initially concentrated on building the Managing Director’s personal profile with key media journalists so that they recognised his achievements and his authority to comment on issues affecting recruitment within the construction industry. Throughout the campaign there was also regular monthly contact with each branch and with individual Operations Directors to build a wider corporate image.
To enable key journalists to get to know Gary, Montpellier organised a media day for the Managing Director to meet key editors in London. The day included meetings with leading building industry publications Construction News and Building Magazine and top recruitment sector title Recruiter Magazine. These meetings have resulted in the agency securing a regular ½ page careers column within the most respected publication within the built environment industry, Building Magazine. A key relationship has also been created with the most highly regarded publication within the recruitment industry, Recruiter Magazine. The magazine now depends on NOW Recruitment, its consultants and Gary Redman for bespoke construction industry and recruitment features. An example of the development of this relationship has been the placement of viewpoint features, news stories, construction sector focus pieces, job spec pieces – as well as the editorial team for Recruiter Magazine depending on the MD and his consultants for quotes in regard to recruitment features.
One of the key publications in Now’s home city is the Birmingham Post. Through ongoing media contact with the Business Editor of the Birmingham Post the agency managed to secure an interview with Gary at NOW Recruitment HQ, this interview led to the agency securing a full-page, picture led piece within the business section of the Birmingham Post. A full-page business profile has also appeared within the Rugby Advertiser, Gary Redman’s home town. Pieces have, and are due to appear within the next few months, in ECM Magazine (Electrical Contractors Magazine), Contract Journal, Recruiter Magazine, Construction Manager, Birmingham Post, Nottingham Evening Post and BBC Radio WM.
Montpellier has secured significant media coverage for Now ranging from short articles to full-page, picture led stories in the media. The MD’s profile has been raised within his key target publications, with positive comments regarding his articles coming from existing and new clients. It has also prompted an increase in CVs sent to Now speculatively from consultants keen to build their long-term careers at Now; a difficult position to achieve in an industry where there is a high churn rate and consultants are often head-hunted for cash-reward.