Develop an employer branding strategy
An employer branding strategy lays the groundwork for being noticed and experienced as an employer on purpose. It spells out what a company stands for as an employer, what it has to offer its employees and what sets it apart from its competitors. The result is a clear positioning that guides internal and external communication and reaches people who really fit the company. At GRAPEVINE we develop this strategy together with our clients, from the first definition of goals to the finished employer value proposition (EVP).
We are often asked to run a campaign straight away. Clients want images and copy. Our first questions are then: What should be achieved? Who should be addressed? Who are the competitors in the labour market? And what should be said about the employer? If these questions have no answer, a strategy project has to come first.
How your employer branding strategy takes shape
At GRAPEVINE an employer branding strategy develops in five building blocks. Each block builds on the previous one, from the first kickoff to a ready-to-use EVP.
The kickoff is the joint start of an employer branding strategy at GRAPEVINE. The project teams get to know each other and settle the key points: project goals including KPIs, the project team, the timeline and possible obstacles. This groundwork in the kickoff makes sure the success of the project can be assessed later.
The internal analysis uses workshops to find out how employees perceive their own employer culture. GRAPEVINE also runs management interviews to gather the target or vision perspective of the leadership level. Where it makes sense, an audit of existing strategy documents adds to the internal analysis, so that a new project picks up what has already been worked out instead of starting from zero.
The external target group analysis develops candidate personas based on market media and talent studies, with biographical key data, media use, motivators and frustrators. This target group analysis is the basis for the employer branding strategy and for the later communication in operational HR marketing.
At the same time GRAPEVINE analyses the relevant competitors: their career website, their value promise and their visibility on social media and on review platforms such as kununu or Glassdoor.
The evaluation brings together the results of the internal and external analysis: a SWOT assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, an attractiveness profile and a GAP analysis, that is, the distance between today’s status quo and the target picture.
From the evaluation GRAPEVINE derives a positioning recommendation. It shows how a company should position itself as an employer in the labour market, among its competitors and with the relevant target groups, in order to be seen as attractive. That includes the tone it should use, the emotions it should evoke and the value promises it should put in focus to stand out and be relevant.
Current studies on employer attractiveness show why the positioning has to consider more than salary and benefits. According to the Employer Brand Research 2025, only 55 percent of employees in Germany are satisfied with their salary, even though pay is seen as the most important selection criterion.* At the same time, 69 percent of 16 to 29-year-olds place particular value on shared values with their employer.** So employer attractiveness can no longer be increased through salary and benefits alone. The positioning recommendation therefore relies on values, emotions and value promises that set an employer apart from the competition.
* Randstad Employer Brand Research 2025, quoted from softgarden.
The employer value proposition, EVP for short, is the central employer promise at the end of an employer branding strategy. By communicating an employer’s unique values and benefits, the employer value proposition makes clear why it is the right employer for certain talents.
The employer value proposition is the core that sums everything up. For each target group it yields a talent value proposition: the core message tailored to the expectations of exactly these people. So the employer value proposition is the umbrella, and the talent value propositions are the messages per target group.
The employee value proposition is something different. It describes the concrete package that an individual employee actually receives.
From strategy to impact
The five building blocks lead to the finished employer value proposition. It is the basis for the employer brand, for recruiting and for everyday working life. That is where the positioning takes effect.
Building the employer brand
At first the positioning is an internal document. It only becomes visible when the creative team translates it into messages, images and a claim for each target group, applied consistently on the career website, on social media and in the job interview.
Employer branding defines the employer brand, and operational HR marketing carries it outside. GRAPEVINE takes care of exactly this translation.
Candidate experience and candidate journey
The candidate experience covers everything applicants go through, from the job ad to the offer or rejection. Among younger people entering the workforce in Germany, a personal connection to the recruiter is decisive for 41 percent when it comes to staying in the application process, ahead of salary transparency (39 percent).*
* JobTeaser Career Barometer 2026 with EDHEC Business School and Kantar, 1,133 respondents in Germany, press release of 26 February 2026.
GRAPEVINE steers the candidate journey with clear metrics: click rate, drop-out rate, time to hire and early turnover show where candidates drop out.
Improving employee retention
An employer brand that is communicated externally but not lived internally does not last long. Only 10 percent of employees in Germany have a high emotional commitment to their employer. In 2025 these employees were absent for 5.7 days on average, employees with no commitment for 9.7 days.*
* Gallup Engagement Index Germany 2025.
Retention measures therefore start where the EVP was formulated: with appreciation, development and leadership.
How do you measure the success of an employer branding strategy?
An employer branding strategy can be measured against clear metrics that GRAPEVINE sets in the kickoff: incoming applications, time to hire, cost per hire, turnover rate, employer ratings and reach of the communication.
How long does it take to develop an EVP?
From kickoff to the finished EVP usually takes three to six months at GRAPEVINE. Exactly how long depends on the number of target groups, the depth of the competitor analysis and the number of stakeholders to involve. The more people have to be aligned, the more likely it is that the full six months are needed.
- Kickoff, project planning and onboarding: approx. 2 weeks
- Internal analysis: 1 to 3 months
- External analysis: 2 to 3 weeks
- Evaluation and positioning: approx. 3 weeks (without creative)
- With creative: an additional 4 weeks
Ready for your employer branding strategy?
Tell us where you stand as an employer today. We will tell you straight what we think the next sensible step is.
The 5 pillars of an EVP
At GRAPEVINE a fully developed EVP rests on five pillars. Only when all five are in place is it complete and ready for creative work and campaign.
One sentence that sums up in brief what the employer stands for.
A value promise for applicants, tailored to the respective candidate persona. For each target group it yields a talent value proposition, that is, the core message for exactly these people.
A value promise for existing employees that reflects the internal perspective.
Side note
To make sure the promise is lived day to day, GRAPEVINE also lays out internal recommendations for action to improve the current situation, for example on cultural change, internal structures or the behaviour of managers.
A claim for external communication. It sums up the central idea. The central idea is the key creative thought of the communication and shows itself as a combination of image and text.
After the relaunch of the employer presence, the campaign carries the employer brand outside, as an employer campaign and/or as a target group or recruiting campaign. This is where the central idea is turned into advertising materials and measures and the positioning becomes tangible.
Prices and services
What does an employer branding strategy cost?
An employer branding strategy has no list price. GRAPEVINE works in modules, so you only book the building blocks you actually need.
| Building block | Price range | What drives the price within the range |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kickoff and initial workshop | €1,500 to €6,000 | The lower end covers a digital get-to-know session including a project plan. The upper end also includes an on-site initial workshop with goal definition including KPIs, competitors, target groups and timing. |
| 2. Internal analysis | approx. €16,000 to €28,000 | Made up of 2 to 3 management interviews on the target perspective, 3 to 5 workshops on how the employer identity is perceived and, optionally, an audit of existing strategy documents. |
| 3. External analysis | approx. €5,000 to €9,000 | Depends on the number of target groups for which a candidate persona is developed and on the scope of the competitor analysis, usually for 3 to 5 target groups and competitors. |
| 4. Evaluation and positioning | approx. €10,000 to €15,000 | Includes a presentation of results with SWOT and GAP analysis and a positioning recommendation including the EVP. |
| Complete package including EVP (= 1 to 4) | €40,000 to €50,000 | All four building blocks from a single source, from kickoff to the finished EVP. The exact amount within the range depends on the number of target groups, interviews and workshops. |
All price ranges are guide values from previous projects. After an initial, non-binding conversation you will receive an individual proposal.
Cases and references
Deutsche Bundesbank: Work of special value
GRAPEVINE repositioned the employer presence for Deutsche Bundesbank. “Work of special value” links the value of money with the values of the employees, reliability, meaningfulness and sustainability, implemented in portraits and an illustration style reminiscent of euro banknotes. The campaign ran cross-media across the career website, social media, trade fairs and internal communication.
Result: around 9 million views at 10 locations within one month, including around 700 digital DOOH screens in public spaces.
Griesson - de Beukelaer: Gehen Sie uns auf den Keks
Faced with growing competition for skilled workers, GRAPEVINE developed an authentic employer brand for Griesson - de Beukelaer across all locations. The humorous campaign “Gehen Sie uns auf den Keks” plays on the product on purpose and positions the cohesion that has grown within the company as the basis for the future.
Result: stronger employee retention, lower turnover and targeted applications that, according to the recruiters, came directly from the campaign.
Award-winning work, literally
We know that awards don’t replace results. They show how independent juries have rated our work. A selection:
2025 Nomination: Film & Video category for “Die Klönmacher:innen – Vielfalt in Szene gesetzt” with the City of Cologne
2020 3rd place: HR Service Provider of the Year
2025 Bronze: Content Marketing category for “Real People. Real Stories. Real Impact” with Evonik Industries
2025 Social Media for Apprentices category, nominated by Allianz Deutschland
2024 Social Media Germany and Social Media for Apprentices categories, nominated by Allianz Deutschland
2022 1st place: Talent Intelligence category for the Employer Brand Cockpit with Evonik Industries
2026 Bronze: LinkedIn Talent Channel Partner
2026 Google Partner
Testimonials
What clients say
“I value the cooperative and professional way we work together with GRAPEVINE. Trust, reliability and high standards of quality in particular make you a strong, long-term partner.”
AOK
“Every time, I find working together incredibly pleasant and reliable. They bring a clear, structured way of working. It’s a real partnership, and I can always rely on their expertise.”
Evonik
“GRAPEVINE has been our partner for many years. Together we have always found a great solution.”
REWE Group
“Making things possible without fuss: no matter how short the notice, they always find a way. Solution-oriented: even under complicated conditions they are happy to get creative with me, and we find a solution.”
A client from the insurance industry
Why the employer brand now decides who applies
The criteria people use to choose an employer are changing, and faster than most career pages are updated. According to the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2026, job security is the most important quality of an attractive employer for 58 percent of employees in Germany. It is followed by a pleasant working atmosphere at 54 percent and work-life balance at 52 percent. Salary and benefits come fourth at 50 percent, and a year earlier they were still at the top of the list.
For employers this means: if you keep advertising with fruit baskets and a first-name culture, you miss what matters to employees right now. Job security in particular depends on reliability and trust. If you promise it, you have to be able to prove it, and that’s exactly where our work begins.
Source: Randstad Employer Brand Research 2026, country report Germany. Survey conducted in early 2026, 4,331 respondents in Germany.
58%
Job security
54%
Pleasant
atmosphere
52%
Work-life
balance
Ready when you are:
What do you say?
Tell us where you stand as an employer – we’ll tell you straight what we think is feasible. No obligation and no fuss.
Frequently asked questions about employer branding strategy
An employer branding strategy defines what a company stands for as an employer, whom it wants to reach and how it differs from its competitors. It is based on an internal and external analysis and leads to an employer value proposition, which is the basis for creative work, campaigns and operational HR marketing. Without this strategy, any later campaign lacks a substantive foundation.
The employer value proposition is an employer’s strategic promise: the answer to the question of what a company stands for. The employer brand is the visible translation of this promise into messages, claim and imagery, developed by the creative team. Without an EVP the employer brand lacks substance, and without creative work the EVP remains an internal document with no effect outside.
Every company benefits from its own candidate persona as soon as different target groups have different expectations of the employer, which is the case in most companies. Without a persona, communication risks missing the actual needs of the target group, because assumptions rather than data form the basis.
Candidate experience and employee retention are two sides of the same employer promise. The candidate experience tests whether the employer value proposition is already delivered in the application process. Retention tests whether it is also delivered in everyday work. If the promise breaks at either point, the employer brand loses credibility.
Through metrics such as incoming applications, time to hire, cost per hire, turnover rate and employer ratings, which GRAPEVINE already sets in the kickoff.
An employer branding strategy pays off mainly in three areas: it makes it easier to win qualified specialists in a tight labour market, it improves the retention of existing employees, and in the medium term it lowers the cost per hire, because there are fewer bad hires and shorter vacancy periods.
Employer attractiveness is influenced by several factors: salary and benefits, but increasingly also the fit of values between employer and employees, development opportunities and a credible company culture. An employer branding strategy shows which of these factors a company can credibly stand behind.
A strong EVP works on both sides of the employer promise. In recruiting it makes the decision easier for applicants, because the offer is clearly differentiated. In everyday work it affects retention, because employees experience the promise every day. If the EVP breaks at either point, its credibility drops overall.
More from GRAPEVINE
About GRAPEVINE
For more than 20 years we have been developing employer brands that inspire, for mid-sized companies, corporations and the public sector.
Services
Strategy, creative, media, social and digital, all five disciplines from one source.