Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

I think you already nailed it. Why not use the exact idea you first mentioned?

A close up of a shining needle amongst a frameful of hay. Or straw. Something like: https://www.fotosearch.com/bthumb/WTD/WTD002/00998CS-U.jpg

The picture will resonate instantly with almost anyone who has ever heard the phrase "It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack".

You could caption it "Found. By (your company name)."

Good luck.

I like the idea of the haystack, only make it a hay STAFF. Each strand of hay has a face.

You are correct that people know what a staffing company does. But every company says they'll find the right person.

What you have to do is educate the company on how to pick the right staffing company.

1) Big or small?
2) Local or national?
3) International or domestic?
4) General or industry specific?

I'm going to suggest you put a decision making tool on your website that helps companies make decisions on the above issues. The result may not be your company, but it doesn't matter. Keeping them on your site will create viral referrals.

Michael

Dear chefbrucemiller,

Needles in haystacks? They've been done.

Red tomatoes in a field of green tomatoes?
Not great for people who are colourblind.

"So the front cover will entice the client and then they will open and ..."

Really? "... some information and a punch line."

"Some information"? Really? Such as "Rip this card up and deposit it in the trash!"?

And a "punch line"? Oh dear.

Please, for the love of God, leave the punch lines to stand up comedians. They get paid to come up with punch lines, you do not.

"We will put some information of what we do but it will be a minimum ..."

Really? Then you'll fail. Sorry, but that's the truth. you'll spend a lot of money, have a very "pretty" looking mailer, but you'll fail.

Don't get me wrong. "Pretty" can be nice. But you don't want "pretty" (or, come to thing of it, "nice").

What you need is effective.

" - most people know what staffing firms are - we just need to set ourselves from the pack."

That's a pretty wild assumption and a grand vision. Again, if you do this the likelihood that you'll fail remains high.

You ARE right that your piece needs to be visually pleasing, but what it does not have to be is clever and unforgettable.

Clever might entertain but what it does not do is inform.
Nor does it move people to act.

Your clients are NOT looking for clever and unforgettable, they are looking for SOLUTIONS to the staffing needs.

You clients are already having debates and conversations in their heads and what you need to be doing is joining in with those conversations with the power and targeted strength of your message.

Your message needs to be asking the kinds of questions your clients are asking and then your message needs to give those people the answers to those questions.

Phil's right about giving some direction to a creative team. But by giving a list of demands, you sap anyone's ability to come up with something that will solve your problem. If you carry on with this notion, if you in essence play at being the designer, your piece will
lack impact and then you'll do what most non-designers do in cases like this, you'll blame the creatives!

Do what you do best. And let other people who know what they do best do their best for you.

With me?

I've seen this happen countless times and I've been on the receiving end of it more times than I care to recall, so do yourself a HUGE FAVOUR and stop.

Just stop.

Think. Regroup. And offer solutions to the problems your clients encounter in their day to day lives. That's all you need to do. And if you do it properly, your phone won't stop ringing.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

I definitely dont want a needle and haystack - i was just trying to provide an example of the direction I want to go. Thats why I am on this board to get advice. I agree you do have to provide solutions to staffing needs on the brochure but I still think there is nothing wrong with conveying that message in a unique and creative way.

There is so much competition. Having a boring brochure like everyone else is not going to get you anywhere. It will be thrown away. I can tell you I have been on the corporate side of staffing and received brochures everyday from staffing firms. They all said the samething. They were boring. But the brochures that were clever were not thrown away because I figured if they were clever in their advertising, they would be clever in the way they find great candidates. Just my opinion.