Connecting people and products with pride

They were global leaders in the fresh prepared food industry, creating meals, salads, desserts, pizzas and breads for Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose in the UK, plus huge food retailers in the US and China. Yet no one had heard of them. They were also suffering from low employee engagement amongst many of their factory operatives and needed to attract more employees from fresh talent pools to replace those lost due to Brexit migration. Things needed to change. And, as a business familiar to working at pace, Bakkavor knew they needed to change fast.

Our objectives were clear

Working with Bakkavor, we needed to identify their EVP and create a compelling employer brand that would resonate with the employees they already had and those they wanted to attract. In particular, we needed to discover how Bakkavor’s values were perceived and find the authentic Bakkavor story and the true reality of a career there. We also had to raise awareness of who Bakkavor is and attract a more diverse talent pipeline, including people who may have never considered a career in the food industry.

We started digging

To completely understand the Bakkavor story we needed to talk to their people, both in the UK and the US, and we did through focus groups, leadership interviews and an online survey, By taking an overview of these sessions we began to really understand Bakkavor – the business they were right now and the one they aspired to be in the future.

What we discovered

We discovered an organisation united by the passion of its people and the pride they had for the high-quality food they made. We also discovered vast differences between the views of employees working in central services or as operatives. Yet, despite these, clear themes emerged that were shared by everyone. And these were translated into attributes and became the foundation stones of the employer brand.

The story it would tell

The attributes and the big idea at the heart of the employer brand needed to communicate the pride that everyone, regardless of role, took in producing high-quality fresh food. That career opportunities were available if people worked for them. That the environment is challenging, expectations are high, and change is constant. That these are real careers for real people. And that Bakkavor are on an evolving journey to stay at the leading edge of the global fresh food market.

We encapsulated all this in the employer brand – Proud to be Bakkavor

It enabled us to explore the various sources of pride. The little wins, the big achievements, moments of support, teamwork and fun that made everyone feel proud to be Bakkavor. It also had the flexibility to work for internal engagement and external attraction with messages of pride targeting both audiences.

And, because this brand is made by Bakkavor people for Bakkavor people, we needed them to be the stars of the show and for Bakkavor’s values to shine through too. So, we asked Bakkavor to identify some brand ambassadors/models for us, who we could use as heroes of the employer brand.

In a one day shoot we then created a wealth of photography and videography for a wide range of assets – from social media posts to essence videos and emailers. The design of the employer brand was personal, human and reflected the quality people and products plus the pace and purpose that makes Bakkavor the place it is.

We’re currently working with Bakkavor on the internal launch and rollout of their employer brand.