Attract best students to Siemens career website through innovative new media ideas.Set benchmarks for employer branding. The media team secured exclusive rights for advertising on refectory trays. Creative was developed specifically for the trays, combining the food idea with the benefits of working for Siemens: e.g. an oversized fish on a plate carries the line "We're looking for people who are not scared of large projects". The trays were produced exclusively for refectories and cafeterias at specific universities, selected according to their reputation in engineering, computer science and business studies (i.e TU Berlin, RWPH Aachen, TU Dresden). Siemens was the first and only employer to use this medium in 2001. Recruitment advertising in Germany is traditionally very press-oriented. Typical publications carry a plethora of adverts featuring young dynamic people and listing required employee attributes. As a result, high potential candidates have become immune to this type of advertising. Thus part of the Siemens employer branding strategy is to target students on campus and via alternative media.The media team researched the campus environment and came up with a new medium which had never been used for any type of advertising previously and which is seen by almost all students. They were able to secure this medium exclusively for the client. Most students in Germany eat in university refectories and cafeterias so it's a great place to communicate with them if you find the right media. But posters, leaflets or postcards just don’t really catch their attention. So why not use refectory trays as an advertising medium, coupled with humorous creative, to surprise students and liven up their lunchtimes. After all, every student has to take a tray to carry his or her plate. What’s more Siemens is known to students as a very traditional employer. The advertising on the trays could almost have been classed as “tray art” rather than advertising and received very enthusiastic responses from students interviewed on campus. There were even requests as to where the trays could be bought.As a direct result, clickrates on the career website showed a marked increase in the months after the trays went into circulation and pageviews increased by 43% within the year. The email feedback from students via the website was very positive. "A good reason to apply for a job at Siemens", "best target group advertising I have ever seen". Siemens proceeded to top employer rankings that year for both engineering and business studies students alike (Trendence Studie).

Recruitment advertising in Germany is traditionally very press-oriented. Typical publications carry a plethora of adverts featuring young dynamic people and listing required employee attributes. As a result, high potential candidates have become immune to this type of advertising. Thus part of the Siemens employer branding strategy is to target students on campus and via alternative media.The media team researched the campus environment and came up with a new medium which had never been used for any type of advertising previously and which is seen by almost all students. They were able to secure this medium exclusively for the client.