Dive Brief:
- Kimberly-Clark, one of the biggest names in household brands, wants to attract what it calls “original thinkers,” says SHRM. The makers of iconic brands like Kleenex, Huggies and Cottonelle is looking to tap into millennial talent with a new branding concept: framing job candidates as said thinkers.
- Frans Mahieu, global marketing director of people strategy at Kimberly-Clark, told SHRM that the company’s challenge is always getting top talent. He said the company is competing with Silicon Valley and Manhattan startups for engineers and developers and needed a new branding campaign to stay competitive.
- The company launched a BuzzFeed-type quiz to test the “original thinkers” idea. It’s also promoting Neenah, WI, the home of its headquarters, as an attractive place in which millennials might want live and work.
Dive Insight:
Kimberly-Clark — a company with a lengthy heritage — is moving forward with 21st century ideas. Even companies with long histories can undergo mindset changes to adapt to the times.
Like many large companies, Kimberly-Clark is competing for talent in a tight labor market. But it knows who its competitors are and the labor demographic it needs to attract. This problem is common for many companies today, meaning organizations are going to have to get just as creative to bring new talent into the fold.