Specialist recruiter Hays is to embark on a major strategic brand review that will result in a new corporate identity and an overhaul of its digital operations.

Hays marketing director, Sholto Douglas-Home, has this week appointed consultancy Interbrand to review brand strategy, following a two-way pitch against rival Landor.

Strategic digital consultancy Th_nk has also been engaged on a five-month project to formulate Hays' future web strategy based on research analytics and strategy development workshops, which is part of a project already underway. "It's about how we can look at the digital space in a commercially savvy way," Douglas-Home told Recruiter.

The aim, according to Th_nk account director Lucie Robinson, is to harness digital technologies to create new systems and processes for attracting candidates, aiding consultants and building relationships with clients, as well as promoting the Hays brand. Douglas-Home added: "It's essentially about trying to anticipate developments in the digital market, which could touch on promotional and operational [developments], whatever role the internet plays in our business."

Hays has previously been criticised by Google industry head of careers and classifieds Luke Mckend for failing to keep up with technology and "feeding jobs boards" online (Recruiter, 9 July).

The first part of Interbrand's task will be to conduct a strategic review, before redesigning Hays' existing four-year-old corporate identity, with a subsequent promotional plan, or rollout, to be devised around the new look.

Hays is making "significant" investment in its marketing, corporate brand and digital operations, part of a wider overhaul of the business laid out by chief executive Alistair Cox when he came on board last year, said Douglas-Home.

"Hays' extraordinary growth — the business has quadrupled over the past 10 years — has been done without any real investment in the brand, and it's now a case of getting to the heart of what the brand stands for, being really ambitious and aggressive in how we promote it," he added.

Douglas-Home is hoping the rebrand will consolidate Hays' presence internationally. "With over 8,900 staff in 391 offices across 27 countries, there needs to be consolidation to bring the Hays brand and business to the fore. Two years ago our business was split between 80% UK operations and 20% international. Now it's more like 60/40. Our growth overseas represents 40% of the business, so you can see the traction in terms of global roll out," he said.

Hays reported that up to 44% of the group's net fees are coming from international markets in its most recent trading report (Recruiter, 10 July).

While Hays claims to be the number one recruiter in the UK, Australia and Germany, countries earmarked for potential growth include Russia, Qatar, India, Malaysia and South Africa. These markets, Douglas-Home said, are characterised by "big industry sectors" such as IT, finance, pharmaceutical and construction — the "core heartland of Hays' capabilities".

"The Hays approach to clients and candidates is priding ourselves in the training and having real industry specific expertise and knowledge of the employment landscape," said Douglas-Home.

International blue chips, including Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, BMW and Sony, are among the recruiter's long-standing clients.




Office Angels hasn't been discouraged by the economic slowdown and has been eagerly marketing its brand across the country throughout the summer.

During four consecutive weeks, branches visited existing clients and cold-called new customers with goodie bags for Think Pink days.

Career consultant Karen Wilson from Office Angels in Norwich told Recruiter that the drops with free gifts had been very successful, creating a lot of new business. "No other agencies are doing this so our brand really sticks in client's minds. It really works."

Office Angels also plans another series of Think Pink days in September.