NOT A JOB, BUT A MISSION

NOT A JOB,
BUT A MISSION

The Challenge

Belgian Defense needs to recruit thousands of people. But competition for talent is fierce and people don’t always know how diverse the job openings are. More so, the Belgian Defense even saw declining recruitment numbers and an outdated image perception. Time for Boondoggle to re-market, recruit and build a strong future for the brand.

The Solution

Before helping Defense to become a more attractive employee, we first needed to boost the overall perception of the Belgian military as a whole. That's why we started with a clear brand promise that we later turned into an employer branding campaign and segmented data-driven acquisition campaign.

Step one: creation of a renewed and solid brand strategy. Thanks to our brand house and canvas, we created a clear narrative: Guardians of your future. This included a visual rebranding of the logo and a modernization of the corporate identity.

Step two: extending the promise to a sustainable creative platform. The baseline is clear: "Uw toekomst, onze missie" (Your future, our mission). We translated that baseline into different types of assets (videos and stills) to use them in an omnichannel approach. We even developed a new digital platform: mil.be.

Step three: strengthen the position of the Ministry of Defense on the labor market. As a derivative of the "Uw toekomst, onze missie" baseline, we developed an employer branding narrative that highlights not only Defense's social mission, but also the challenging and rewarding aspects of working for Defense: "Geen job, wel een missie" (Not a job, but a mission). The narrative matches the needs of the potential target group, based on studies via Listen. We determined the USP's based on the analysis of that study, namely the contribution of the Belgian Defense to the security, stability and prosperity of Belgium and its citizens.

Step four: launch. We developed everything needed for a multimedia mix in both Dutch and French in all parts of the funnel. We even did specific activation campaigns for hard-to-reach target groups, e.g. for women.

Results: mission accomplished

  • A repositioning of Defense as more than just an organization. Defense became a brand that the public can understand and trust. A positioning still active today.

  • Thanks to ongoing brand, communication and media advice, we created consistent and coherent branding in all offline and online communication tools.

  • Defense's image and reputation are analyzed through a large-scale, biannual survey (LISTEN) and smaller surveys among specific target groups/stakeholders. The results show a very strong correlation between the level of knowledge around the organization's tasks & missions and a positive attitude toward us.

  • After a decline in the 2021 reputation index, we can see that reputation has been restored among "influencers”, ensuring stability across all strategic objectives.

  • Always-on data-driven strategy results in constant optimization: we have learned that proximity sells best. Domestic support missions score better in surveys. The “Missiekiezer” application also increased inflows (50% more clicks over the last 3 years) of potential candidates.

These results lay the foundations for the coming years. Through an improved and stable reputation, which it is admittedly best to continue to maintain, Ministerie van Defensie can further engage in concrete acquisition campaigns that will further promote the influx of applicants.