Portfolio
Balfour Beatty
Creating a lasting impression
Fresh talent is vital for the success of any organisation – and never more than in the engineering sector. For this reason, Balfour Beatty recruits over 100 graduates a year. In 2009, they wanted to highlight the fact that they had been breaking new ground since 1909. For five years, we’d supported the company with award-winning work. Our challenge was to keep the momentum going while reflecting their centenary celebrations.
The solution
This time, we wanted to make graduates think about the future while celebrating the past. A quote from Victorian thinker John Ruskin set the tone: “When we build, let us think that we build forever.” Digitally and in print, we applied bold statements and dramatic, wide-screen images. We presented scenarios in which graduates could imagine themselves working as part of the Balfour Beatty team. Online, we added an effective search engine optimisation strategy and a live job feed. Exhibition stands were also designed to offer maximum flexibility at events.
The results
The 2009/10 campaign has been an outstanding success. The website remains central to the campaign and case study updates have kept the content fresh. After many years, we’re proud that our relationship with Balfour Beatty is as strong as ever.
““Penna Barkers have helped Balfour Beatty attract the hard-to-find graduate engineering talent we seek. Their campaigns have helped us achieve all of our recruiting targets – along with awards like Best Brochure at the AGR Awards. They helped take us on a digital journey with a really impressive website; backed up with the latest search techniques and innovative online advertising.”
Rachel Blake, Graduate Recruitment Manager, Balfour Beatty
“‘The Balfour Beatty campaign shows the benefit of long-term relationships. We’ve put a creative platform in place that’s been stable for the last three years. But we’ve continued to build on it with fresh case studies and developments such as search optimisation.’’
Alastair McKenzie, Graduate and Print Solutions Director