ABOUT MATRIX GLOBAL
Matrix Global is the offshore/nearshore professional services division of Matrix IT
(one of Israel’s leading IT companies).
With more than 1,400 professionals in two continents, Matrix Global offers holistic solutions and outsourcing services for high-tech companies, IT organizations, and startups in a variety of fields, including software engineering, QA & testing, professional services, technical support, art studio, test automation & performance, and more.
Matrix Global’s main offices in Eastern Europe are located in Sofia (Bulgaria) and Skopje (Macedonia).
Both locations are managed by a dedicated Israeli and local team.
The company provides its many customers a stable partnership, smart-shoring, and services that are custom-tailored to the needs of each specific project.
THE CHALLENGE
In the crowded Eastern European market, where more and more companies are seeking nearshoring IT and technology services and giants like Microsoft and Google open more doors to the local workforce, Matrix Global realized that to grow, they had to overcome two major hurdles.
On the one hand, the Matrix Global name was not as known as other, larger global companies.
On the other, due to the nature of its highly technological projects, they needed to augment their pool of talent with employees at the forefront of current trends.
This realization drove them to embark on a strategic marketing effort to promote the Matrix Global brand in the target Bulgarian and Macedonian markets.
Matrix Global’s HR Department began to search for a marketing agency that would lead them through this major project.
They met with three agencies, one in Bulgaria and two in Israel, and decided to join forces with Xtra mile, a lifecycle-marketing agency with roots in Israel and customers in Europe and the United States. The rest is history.
THE APPROACH
After analyzing the goals and the situation on the ground, it became clear to both Matrix Global and Xtra mile that this should be a long-term employer-branding project that would bring the results they wanted.
Together, the companies defined the strategy, which followed a top bottom approach.
The main objective was to position Matrix Global as a leader in its field and increase its visibility in Bulgaria and Macedonia, making it more attractive to the local workforce.
This main objective was in turn divided into several secondary goals:
- Appeal to the young and highly technical generation in these countries
- Get them acquainted with Matrix Global’s innovative top technologies
- Increase the company’s talent-recruitment rates
- Increase existing employees’ satisfaction and retention, converting them into ambassadors of the Global Matrix brand
THE PROCESS
The first step was the discovery stage in the target countries. Yuval Karp, Matrix Global’s General Manager and Member of the Board, and Hila Harkov, Global HR Manager, visited both countries together with Xtra mile’s team.
They interviewed talent agencies, potential candidates and select Matrix Global employees to define precisely what their targeted potential employees are looking for in terms of work opportunities.
They researched what is important for them, their list of priorities, and what ‘makes them tick’ when choosing a workplace.
The results of the survey showed that, in each country, the weight of what ‘makes employees tick’ when choosing a workplace was slightly different.
They learned about the important factors, about their unique work environment needs, as well as about the small details, for example, that free coffee is definitely a great advantage in the workplace, as well as having a cubicle that has a window.
The discovery stage gave Xtra mile the ammunition they needed to develop the employer-brand strategy and the main messages for the brand, channels, personas, etc.
Before launching marketing campaigns to leverage their brand and promote it within current and potential employees, Matrix Global revamped their offices in Sofia and Skopje to make them even more welcoming to existing and future employees.
A BRAND CHARACTER IS BORN – RIX GLOBY
One of the strategic decisions that followed the discovery stage was to develop a brand character for Matrix Global.
The new creature, also known as Rix Globy, was to become the presenter of all marketing materials, starting from the presentations for new employees, through being a key design element in the offices’ design project, to appearing in all digital campaigns.
The new Matrix Global character also starred in several videos and viral ads, which personified the ‘you deserve better’ and ‘your dream job’ digital campaign messages.
Globy was indeed a breakthrough. These types of campaigns are not so popular in Eastern European countries, but Matrix Global were not afraid to take the risk.
They created local focus groups to test different personas, surveyed them, and then asked them to choose the one they liked best.
Judging by the number of Facebook likes alone, Globy was very well received in both countries!
“For us, this was a pivotal project and an amazing experience,” says Yuval Karp, General Manager and Member of the Board, Matrix Global Eastern Europe.
“We spent a lot of money in rebranding our presence in Eastern Europe and embarked on an adventure with absolutely no room for mistakes.
Once we made the decision to go forward with the survey, the character, the campaigns – there was no looking back. But it all paid off in the end,” he adds, “this was a truly successful endeavor”.
THE CAMPAIGNS
Once the persona and messages were in place, Xtra mile embarked in a comprehensive digital campaign that included Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Matrix Global’s website and other channels.
Throughout the entire project, from the original brainstorming meetings through to campaign execution, Matrix Global and Xtra mile employees worked hand in hand to attain the desired results.
Xtra mile put at the disposal of Matrix Global their expertise and international knowledge, and a large team of experts in virtually any field in the marketing arena.
RESULTS
Matrix Global were able to measure significant improvements in several areas already after three months from the launch of the digital campaigns:
- More CVs received via their website, social media channels, headhunting and talent agencies
- More CVs received via current employees, who now recommend Matrix Global Wholeheartedly to their friends and peers as a preferred workplace
- More contracts signed with new employees
- Sharp decrease in the rate of workplace abandonment by Matrix Global employees
- Higher degree of recognition among talent management companies and hi-tech and IT candidates
