In this episode of the VideoMy Pod, host David Macciocca chats with James Ellis (author of five books and one of the world's most recognised employer brand authorities) for a wide-ranging, no-holds-barred conversation on what employer brand really is, why most organisations are getting it wrong, and what it actually takes to build something worth talking about.
James brings his signature combination of wit, provocation and deep strategic thinking to some of the most important questions in the field: How do you pitch employer brand to a sceptical CEO or CFO? What does it mean to be "choosable"? Why is employee advocacy the most underrated tool in the playbook? And where the heck should employer brand actually sit in an organisation? He also shares his honest (and occasionally biased) takes on TA, marketing and internal comms, before wrapping up with a rapid-fire agree/disagree round that doesn't pull any punches.
For anyone working in employer brand, recruitment marketing, or talent acquisition who wants to think differently about their work – and maybe pick a fight or two along the way – this one is essential listening.
Key Topics:
02:00 – The 60-second elevator pitch that reframes employer brand for sceptical CEOs
07:00 – How to talk to a CFO: value exchange, A-players and why salary premiums are a losing game
12:00 – What "choosable" actually means and why most companies sound exactly the same
17:00 – The #1 wasted opportunity on every career site (and why it makes James "murderously mad")
21:00 – Why employee advocacy is the cheapest, most impactful tool almost nobody uses properly
26:00 – The art of saying no and how to build systems that let you say yes more often
31:00 – Where should employer brand live: TA, marketing, or internal comms?
37:00 – The pros, cons and honest job security ranking of each reporting structure
41:00 – If you had a million dollars: what James would actually spend it on
43:00 – Rapid fire: EVPs are dead. Career sites are irrelevant. AI will make all content look the same. Agree or disagree?
If you want to learn more about activating your employer brand strategy and EVP then you can check out podcast.videomyjob.com for a library of industry perspectives and how-to's.
Now, if you’re ready to level up your activation strategy then you need an employee story video platform and that’s what we do! Go to videomyjob.com/demo to book a walkthrough with one of our video specialists.
Lastly, we’d love for you to help us spread the word about the VMJPod to attract new experts and practitioners to share their activation strategies, so please take a screenshot and post it on LinkedIn, don’t forget to tag us at VideoMy, we are so grateful when you do that!