When you think Iceland, you might think cheap frozen food and bad celebrity adverts starring Kerry Katona. What you should be thinking is that Iceland is the first supermarket to remove MSG from its shelves, palm oil from its own products, prove the nutritional power of frozen and for making a 2023 plastic-free pledge. It’s a truly inspirational business that were challenged by misguided views that didn’t represent the amazing work done in Iceland.
This poor impression was also having a negative impact on how they we’re viewed as employer. So, the challenge was clear; remove the association of a value retailer that only hired value employees.
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We started by holding more than 80 focus groups business wide and heard from 1,700 employees to help understand exactly what it’s like to work for Iceland. Above all else, the research showed us that Iceland employees valued meaning in their work, the close-knit teams that they worked with and their ability to challenge the status quo, get stuck in and strive for better.
This particular mindset and approach to work at Iceland made us understand that it was a particular type of person that would succeed here. This information helped inform the employer brand concept Be Iceland. We created powerful messages that shout their newly crafted employer propositions and developed this with a new colour palette, photography, and bold typography to bring energy and passion to the brand.
After activation workshops with workstream leaders, the employer brand resonated so well with employees that Be Iceland has become a part of everyday vernacular for all employees. It’s used to describe the actions and behaviours to successfully drive the business forward.