Tradition Meets Modernity – How WEMPE Optimizes Its Employer Brand Using Candidate Personas
For the relaunch of its employer brand, luxury jeweler Wempe is relying on data-driven insights into its target audience—as the foundation for an employer brand that aligns with the corporate brand and the people behind it.
Employer Brand with Traditional Values
Wempe is one of Germany’s most traditional and prestigious family-owned companies—with watch and jewelry collections in high demand worldwide, excellent customer service, and genuine craftsmanship. As an employer, Wempe also stands out for its strong values, a corporate culture that is truly lived out, and high standards of quality.
As part of the ongoing development of its corporate brand, Wempe asked itself a key strategic question: How can the employer brand be systematically aligned with the brand strategy—and thus further developed as an integral part of the company’s overall image?
Optimizing the Employer Brand for the Future
The project focused on the strategic realignment of the employer brand—with the goal of making it authentic, modern, and aligned with the corporate brand.
The goal was to highlight the company’s strengths as an employer and to shape its employer branding in a forward-looking way in order to attract new talent to the company.
Candidate Personas as a Data-Driven Basis for Decision-Making
To consistently position its employer brand as part of its overarching corporate strategy, Wempe decided to partner with the Persona Institute—to establish a valid, data-driven foundation for greater visibility among relevant target groups.
Data Analysis
- Building on existing company insights, the Persona Institute conducted comprehensive market research analyses and combined sociodemographic characteristics, interests, and psychographic data to identify values, attitudes, and expectations regarding the work environment.
- The review took into account both current employees and potential new candidates who meet the company's requirements.
Development of Candidate Personas
- Based on this data, the Persona Institute developed two candidate personas that represent at least 80 percent of Wempe’s key applicant target groups.
- The personas contain scientifically grounded information on motivation, values, information-seeking behavior, expectations regarding recruiting processes and employers, as well as key decision-making criteria.
Conception of data-based recommendations for action
- To consistently approach content, messages, and touchpoints from the target audience’s perspective—in line with Wempe’s tone and brand values—the Persona Institute derived recommendations for action from the collected data.
- Compiled into a Persona Playbook, these serve as a data-driven basis for decision-making to align the employer brand with the refined brand strategy.
Candidate Personas as a Driving Force for the Employer Brand
The data-driven personas help Wempe not only better understand its target audiences but also tailor all initiatives along the candidate journey—from the language used to the narrative.
Employer Brand Aligned with the Corporate Brand
Based on this, Wempe is developing an employer brand that seamlessly integrates into the company’s overall image: authentic, appreciative, and consistent with the brand.
Highlighting Strengths in Action
The desire for a sense of purpose, personal growth, and a work environment where appreciation is palpable—strengths that Wempe already embodies and is highlighting more effectively through its new employer branding.
More than just an HR tool: a guide to employer communication
Wempe demonstrates how modern employer branding works in conjunction with long-established corporate brands: based on real data, with a deep understanding of the target audiences—and consistently integrated into the brand strategy. The clear link to the corporate brand lends the new employer communications additional visibility, consistency, and appeal.
How candidate-centric are your recruiting and employer branding efforts, really?
Data-driven candidate personas reveal who your target audiences really are—and where your messaging misses the mark. The Persona Institute’s Persona Audit shows you where the greatest impact lies.
Go to the Persona Audit →- Assessing Your Current Approach to Targeting Audiences
- The Potential of Data-Driven Personas
- Specific Next Steps for Your Company
Understand your target audiences with data-driven personas.
Would you like to develop your employer brand in a data-driven way that aligns with your brand—just like Wempe? Contact the Persona Institute.
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