shaping the world of work

Absolute Class - REC Awards 2002

Image of the REC advert The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Awards were held in London on Friday 11th October. This year, Hill McGlynn were awarded the Best Recruitment Advertisement on the grounds that:

‘Their ads were absolute class’ according to the judges. (Winning advert on right)

The ads were part of an advertising campaign, produced by Sowerby Advertising & Communications, Hill McGlynn’s advertising agency, which were directed at the Civil Engineering, Surveying and Mechanical & Electrical sectors.

Chronic skills shortages continue to affect the construction industry, despite recent large investment in property and continued demand for skilled professional trades people. It has been widely argued that the construction industry must improve its image to attract both newly-qualified and experienced workers back into it.

This is something that Hill McGlynn has been successfully doing for more than 25 years. The specialist recruitment consultancy for the construction industry has built up a reputation as a leading technical and professional recruitment firm.

This has been enhanced by an excellent advertising presence and a very clear understanding of the value that an effective ad campaign can have on recruitment.

During 2002, Hill McGlynn concentrated on building their reputation within the non-contractor sector of the construction industry. This was viewed as a valuable and untapped market. For this, they decided to place a series of striking advertisements in the press to help raise the awareness of their brand among candidates and clients.

According to the judges, the adverts achieved their overall objective in three ways. Hill McGlynn received details of new candidates in the targeted sectors, they successfully made their presence known in the new markets and most importantly, they received a notable response from new and existing clients.

Commenting on the winning advertisement, one of the judges said: "By introducing unique colours, wonderful typography and great visual styles, our eyes were attracted to the ads. Their series of three ads were all well- placed, with a theme linking them throughout. Hill McGlynn is a worthy winner. Absolute class."