Using MMM to drive recruitment efficiency for a national public sector body

Background

A major public sector body responsible for national recruitment needed to understand how to deploy its media investment as effectively as possible. The primary objective was to meet annual recruitment targets for a wide range of specialized roles, each with its own unique candidate pool and media requirements.

The organization faced a complex environment with changing economic conditions impacting the job market. It needed to evaluate the performance of all media channels to inform budget allocation, improve efficiency, and understand the true drivers of recruitment interest.

Solution

We implemented a comprehensive annual marketing mix modelling (MMM) program to measure the effectiveness of media investment. This included the development of over 10 distinct models to isolate the drivers of Expressions of Interest (EOI) – the principal KPI – across the client’s various recruitment strands, from general entry to highly specialized roles.

Our approach incorporated Unobserved Component Modeling (UCM), a proprietary methodology which separates short-term uplifts from the more long-term impact that marketing has on performance. The analysis was extensive, covering all paid media channels and the impact of earned media, including a TV documentary series related to the organization, on application volumes.

Results

Overall, our recommendations delivered significant and measurable improvements in performance. A 23% increase in media investment drove a 37% increase in EOI volumes, demonstrating a substantial uplift in media effectiveness. This also translated into a 10% year-on-year improvement in the cost per EOI.

Specific recommendations included:

• A tailored AV strategy: We identified that audiovisual (AV) channel effectiveness varied significantly by recruitment strand. YouTube was the most consistent performer, and our insights enabled the client’s media agency to plan and buy AV packages at a more granular, effective level.
• Leveraging the halo effect: Our analysis proved that general recruitment advertising generated a measurable halo impact on some specialized roles. This allowed the client to reduce spend on more expensive, hyper-targeted media for these roles.
• Identifying growth drivers: We recommended a strategic reallocation of budget away from underperforming activities and towards proven growth channels, including social media.