Strategic Recruitment Marketing
Redefining employer value proposition for the seasonal workforce market
2024
3 months
FMCG / Retail
Starting position
Starting position
- ≈ 30–40
Weekly applications
- 8–12 weeks
Time-to-fill per role
Across historical seasonal cycles
- ≈ 350–450 €
Cost per hire
Blended media + recruiter time
- ≈ 18–28 %
Brand awareness in 18–25 segment
Pre-campaign benchmark
Market size
≈ 200,000–220,000
Active Gen Z workforce in Croatia
Approx. budget
50,000 – 199,999 €
Budget breakdown
Budget bucket per Clutch.co project cost category. Exact figures under NDA.
13-week campaign
13 weeks
- 1
Weeks 1–2
Discovery, audience research, EVP refinement
- 2
Weeks 3–5
Concept (DJ Tijesto), creative assets & channel plan
- 3
Weeks 6–8
Soft launch + initial OOH + social activation
- 4
Weeks 9–13
Full activation, funnel optimization & application ops
High-Volume Seasonal Recruitment in a Competitive Market
The client faced the critical imperative of filling hundreds of seasonal vacancies across national operations. Traditional recruitment channels were yielding suboptimal results due to market saturation and low engagement from the target 18-25 demographic.
Intense competition for seasonal labor from tourism and hospitality sectors
Diminishing returns from conventional job posting platforms
Urgent requirement for mass hiring within a constrained timeline
Need to revitalize the employer brand to appeal to Gen Z candidates
Integrated Creative Recruitment Strategy
We developed 'DJ Tijesto' (DJ Dough), a strategic brand mascot designed to disrupt the market and maximize engagement. The campaign leveraged humor, cultural relevance, and an omnichannel distribution strategy to transform the recruitment process into a viral brand experience.
Mascot-Led Brand Narrative
Creation of 'DJ Tijesto' as a central campaign figure to personify the brand's dynamic work culture and drive social shareability.
Strategic OOH Placement
Data-informed deployment of high-impact outdoor advertising (billboards, city lights) in high-footfall zones relevant to the target demographic.
Viral Social Media Activation
Execution of a cohesive social media strategy utilizing the #IdemoooNaSezonu hashtag to foster community engagement and user-generated content.
Culturally Resonant Copywriting
Development of witty, localized messaging such as 'Gdje se DJ Tijesto stvori, posao u ples pretvori!' to build authentic connection with the local audience.
How we repositioned the employer brand
Creative alone rarely fills roles — concurrent funnel and channel changes converted attention into hires.
Channel mix
Before
Traditional job portals
After
OOH + social + community + portals
Gen Z spends time where the campaign now lives.
Brand positioning
Before
Generic 'we're hiring' ads
After
DJ Tijesto + #IdemoooNaSezonu narrative
Culturally relevant story instead of a generic vacancy notice.
Application funnel
Replaced portal-only applications with QR-driven flow and social-CTA shortcuts.
ROI achieved within 6 weeks
≈ 1.5–2.5x
first season
≈ 60,000–110,000 €
annual cost-per-hire savings
50,000 – 199,999 €
Payback period
6 weeks
Method
Cost-per-hire pre/post with seasonal normalization
Confidence
Medium-High — controlled inside the seasonal window
Savings = recruitment cost reduction; brand-lift impact not quantified here.
Exceeding Recruitment KPIs
The campaign successfully repositioned the employer brand, resulting in the rapid fulfillment of all seasonal vacancies and establishing a robust talent pipeline.
Weekly applications
Before
≈ 30–40
After
≈ 55–70
During campaign vs. baseline
Time-to-fill
Before
8–12 weeks
After
2 weeks
Across historical seasonal cycles
Cost per hire
Before
≈ 350–450 €
After
≈ 180–220 €
Blended media + recruiter cost
Engagement on DJ Tijesto creatives
Before
industry ≈ 1–2%
After
≈ 8–12%
Cross-channel aggregate
“The strategic pivot in our recruitment marketing not only solved our immediate hiring needs but significantly elevated our brand perception among younger audiences.”
Marketing Director
Leading Bakery Retailer
