Interbrand rebrands global recruiter Hays

Interbrand has created a new identity for Hays, the international recruitment network.

The UK’s largest listed recruitment group, Hays employs more than 8000 staff in 27 countries.

Interbrand was appointed to the work in August 2008 after beating Landor Associates in a two-way pitch overseen by Sholto Douglas-Home, Hays marketing director.

Douglas-Home says, ‘We have spent the past year with Interbrand distilling down the core essence of Hays to build up a brand-positioning. We have involved clients, candidates and staff in the process.’

The result is a visual identity which Douglas-Home describes as having core values of ‘simplicity, strength and consistency’. He adds, ‘We are a global network, so the identity has to work the same way in Brazil as it does in Shenzhen.’

The strapline ‘recruiting experts worldwide’ has been added to the identity, and a visual ‘H’ device has been created that can be adapted to indicate the different sectors Hays works in. Douglas-Home says, ‘I jokingly said that if Nike can have a swoosh, then why can’t we have a visual device?’

Rita Clifton, chairman of Interbrand, says, ‘Hays is a very lively business and we wanted to make sure that the visual identity lives up to that. We had to make Hays look like the industry leader it is and also reflect the energy of the working culture.’

Both Clifton and Douglas- Home note that the recruitment industry has not traditionally been strongly branded, with Douglas-Home pointing out that ‘advertising in the industry in general is predominantly based around job boards – on the whole there’s very little highprofile above-the-line work’.

The new identity will go public next week.

REBRAND COUNTDOWN:
July 2008
– Interbrand and Landor Associates compete in two-way pitch to rebrand Hays. Douglas-Home says, ‘We felt it was far easier to manage two consultancies which would give us their undivided attention, which is not always the case with four or five’
August 2008 – Interbrand appointed to the work
October 2009 – New Hays identity, including strapline and ‘H’ visual device, to roll out

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Comments
  • Roy Wylam November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    This looks like the same solutions that was used for Unilever!

  • michael wilson November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    don’t the armed forces have a very similar style of branding?

  • louise cant November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    that is the exact thought that I had “Unilever’ when I saw it. What does the vignette signify?

  • Scarlett November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    I much agree with the comments made here, I thought of Unilever straight away.

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