Leading global FMCG group Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is exploring a variety of social media to raise its profile among the highly sought-after 18- to 30-year-old age group. RB produces a number of well-known household brands, which they call Powerbrands. These include Finish, Vanish, Veet and Clearasil, to name but a few. But awareness of RB as a corporate brand is low compared to awareness of these Powerbrands.

Working with recruitment and employee communications agency Euro RSCG Riley to develop the strategy and with social media agency Nudge Social Media to build the game, RB wanted to raise the profile of its corporate brand to attract graduates and early career sales and marketing professionals. The answer? A Facebook game application—poweRBrands—that gives players the chance to learn about life in a global FMCG company and to experience the unique culture at RB.

Tackling a series of tough sales and marketing challenges, players make their way up the corporate ladder to ultimately become company president. As they progress through the company, they move to different global locations. And on the way, they earn points they can use to upgrade and personalize their offices. poweRBrands challenges their decision-making ability and tests their commercial thinking. The aim is to give players a realistic impression of what it’s like to work at RB.

poweRBrands is part of a wider, award-winning, integrated communication strategy that started in May 2009 to use social media to engage in dialogue with entrepreneurial students and early career prospects. In conjunction with RB’s Facebook page, Twitter feed, LinkedIn group, YouTube channel and corporate blog, poweRBrands is the first time a major FMCG group has used a social media game to raise corporate brand awareness for recruitment.  In the first two months, poweRBrands had been accessed by 30,000 unique Facebook users and it was featured in Marketing Week and New Media Age.

Recruiters have spotted the potential benefits of social media, and they are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition. The question isn’t how many organisations will follow the poweRBrands trail, but what will the next social recruitment innovation be?