Aviva Graduates & Facebook

The challenge

Aviva wanted their 2009/10 graduate campaign to reach more people. The campaign revolved around their brand promise – that they treat customers and employees as individuals.

At its heart was a website that you could personalise - from pictures and promos, to the actual copy and album covers in a special lastfm widget.

Strategy/Creative

We recommended using social media to get the message out there. The idea went hand-in-hand with our 2008 research, which showed that students really liked the interactive elements of that year's Aviva graduate site. So, as well as making the new one even more fun to play with, we harnessed the extra reach of Facebook.

As well as all the other interactive features, the site lets you upload a picture of yourself and have it appear on the homepage image. So you could, for example, have your head coming out of a watering hole next to a hippo.

What's more, you can post the image onto Facebook – and indirectly advertise the site to your friends via your wall and news feeds. Considering, on average, Facebook users have around 130 friends, it's a great (and free) channel.

Visitors to the website also saw promos for special competitions. To get details on them and enter, you had to become a fan of the Aviva Graduates Facebook page. There were different prizes for different interests, and the draws were staggered to encourage repeat visits to the page. The page also had useful information on events and videos.

Importantly, when you become a fan, a post appears on your wall and alerts your friends. In other words, more free advertising.

Results

It was a real thrill to see so many people enter the competitions, become Facebook fans and create the personalized pages. But, of course, the real cause for celebration was the fact that we attracted some absolutely outstanding candidates into Aviva's vital graduate roles.

Conclusion

Social media is becoming more and more important in employer communications. And this is just one example of how it can be used to help build communities and develop a recruitment brand. In terms of recruitment, the channel is still in its infancy. However, it isn't something to be scared of. Conversations are happening out there about you as an employer. We can help you follow these conversations, and influence them.