Rise above the possible: EVP and visual concept for Metso Outotec

Metso Outotec needed a new way to tell what kind of employer it is and what kind of employee experience it offers. We set out to create a bold employer value proposition that reflects what is true today and what the company is aiming for in the future. Miltton copywrited the EVP, created a visual concept and made an employer branding handbook. The tagline of the EVP represents both the end result and the process. Rise above the possible.

CHALLENGE

After the merger of Metso and Outotec in 2020, building a shared culture in this newly formed organization became key to the future success of this international technology company. This common culture, along with other reasons to join and stay at Metso Outotec, needed to be communicated in an inspiring and convincing way to current and potential employees. In addition, as competition for specialized talent is so fierce in the industry, generating awareness had to be prioritized and reasons to work at Metso Outotec needed to be found and clearly formulized.

OBJECTIVES

In the summer of 2021, Metso Outotec was ready to find a fresh employer branding concept that was fully aligned with the new corporate strategy, recently defined performance culture and existing values.

Together, Metso Outotec and Miltton set out to define a story, communication themes and a tagline. All of these had to follow the desired tone of voice and showcase the advantage the company offers to talents. In addition, there was a need for a visual concept that brings the employer story to life.

INSIGHT

Many of Metso Outotec’s competitors look and sound the same. Most of the other employer brands talk about similar topics and the imagery they use often involves white-collar workers and men in hard hats. There was clearly room to maneuver and differentiate Metso Outotec from the mass of interchangeable employer stories.

To stand out from conventional employer branding approaches, getting internal stakeholders on board the creative process was fundamental. Having the courage to choose messages that would speak to the talent we wish to attract was also essential. Showing what Metso Outotec’s employees are doing to help achieve the company’s sustainability goals and inviting them to join the company on this transformation journey soon emerged as crucial ingredients of the new employer branding story.

WHAT WE DID

The project started with an analysis of all the existing materials and guidelines, such as corporate strategy, brand guidelines, target culture definition and available research reports. Desktop research continued with a global media landscape analysis. A deep dive into the employer branding of five benchmarked companies soon followed.

After the first research phase, we started the qualitative and quantitative research involving both current and potential employees. An external talent survey was conducted in five countries around the world to find out what professionals in the industry think of Metso Outotec and what they need from an employer. A similar survey was also carried out inside the company for current employees. Furthermore, we conducted in-depth interviews with the leadership team to find out their thoughts and expectations related to the employer brand.

Through two online workshops, employees from different parts of the organization came together and turned our research findings into bold creative choices. Based on workshop discussions, Miltton’s creative team developed preliminary versions of the employer value proposition and the visual concept.

The ideas were refined further along with the Metso Outotec core team before other employees were invited to validate and comment on them. In a series of seven co-working meetings, employees from various positions and countries helped us in reiterating the messages and visuals. Based on their comments and feedback, we made the finishing touches on the final versions and designed the chosen brand assets.

THE END RESULTS

To make the employer value proposition and the visual concept work around the world, all materials and assets were gathered in a practical employer branding handbook, including instructions on how to use them in ongoing communications.

You can find the Rise above the possible concept and the key messages in use at: https://www.mogroup.com/corporate/careers/

Miltton Team

Art Director: Sannamari Vuorela
Client lead: Anna Kero
Copywriter : Gino de la Paz
Creative lead: Timo Linniemi
Graphic designer: Maria Tuovinen
Project manager: Ella Ahmas
Researcher: Noora Front
Service designer: Anna-Sofia Juntunen
Strategists: Quentin Doche & Miikka Huhta

For more information, please contact

Miikka Huhta
Director, employee experience and communications
miikka.huhta@miltton.com