Lyle & Scott embraces social media for #NextGreatLeader campaign

Scottish men's fashion business Lyle & Scott uses social media for #NextGreatLeader campaign to find £250K p/a CEO

Campaign name: Next Great Leader / #NextGreatLeader
Brand: Lyle & Scott
Audience:  Chief Executive Offices (CEOs) and managing directors
Regions: UK and overseas
Duration: 29/08/2013 to 04/10/2013
Channels: Pay-per-click (PPC) and social media
Budget: £12,000

Social Media Portal (SMP):  Agency behind the campaign

Lyle & Scott (L&S): The agency behind the campaign is niche online and ecommerce recruitment firm Beringer Tame. You can also find them on Twitter @Beringer_Tame

SMP: The brand it is for

L&S: Men's fashion brand Lyle & Scott and @Lyle_and_Scott.

SMP: The official campaign name and why was it chosen?

L&S: We chose the name #NextGreatLeader to effectively communicate who it is we?re looking for, and to allow us to draw parallels with other great leaders as part of the campaign.


SMP: What regions is the campaign for?

L&S: We are primarily targeting the UK, as the job is based in London. But we are open to applicants from overseas.

SMP: What was the start and end of the campaign?

L&S: The campaign began on 29/08/2013 and will end on 04/10/2013 (five weeks).

SMP: The target audiences of the campaign, who are you trying to reach and why?

L&S: We?re trying to target suitable candidates for the job, so CEOs and managing directors who have successfully grown a luxury brand internationally. We are also trying to encourage people to put forward recommendations.

SMP: Briefly, tell us about your campaign

L&S: It?s an innovative campaign to find the next CEO for Lyle and Scott, using social media platforms rather than relying on traditional headhunting methods. This will enable us to achieve a much wider reach, and target the right type of candidate. Owner, Sue Watson, wants a modern tech aware CEO who is social media literate.

SMP: What are the goals of the campaign and why is it different?

L&S: The goal is to inspire a forward thinking leader to apply. Someone who is capable of driving the business through the digital age, and who is present in that sphere. This way we won?t draw from the more obvious pool of candidates, nor will they necessarily be in retail?we?re keeping our options open.

SMP: Why have you decided to use social media to reach to this audience, given that CEOs are not renowned for their use of technology, particularly social media?

L&S: We believe that although they may be rare, there do exist senior leaders who are embracing the changes social media is bringing to businesses. By conducting the search in this way, we automatically select out the ?dinosaurs?. Those people who aren?t active online or are too self important to engage will be the wrong fit for the job.




SMP: Will how the perspective CEO responds via social media and the sort of social media profile they have any bearing upon whom you eventually choose?

L&S: As recruiters (Beringer Tame), we do survey candidates? social media profiles, and they inevitably have an influence on the initial stages of the hiring process. It all depends on the individual and we?re certainly not setting any strict criteria. That being said, if invited to the next stage, applicants will be expected to be able to complete tasks using social media as part of the process.

SMP: What are the channels, platforms and methods you?re using?

L&S: Our main focus is Twitter, as we believe this will achieve the widest reach. This is in conjunction with Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Adwords campaigns. We will also be asking applicants to complete some fun tasks using Pinterest and Vine!

WANTED: #CEO for our iconic british brand. £250k basic salary http://t.co/Nl6BzuYKoO'. Corporate Journeymen need not apply. #NextGreatLeader

? Lyle and Scott (@Lyle_and_Scott) August 29, 2013

SMP: What are you doing to measure the campaign and what measurement tools do you have in place to do this?

L&S: We are tracking engagement within each platform by measuring clicks, retweets and shares. We?re also monitoring the amount of web traffic each source brings as well as the quality of applicants, so that we can review and adjust accordingly.

SMP: What is the budget used for the campaign?

L&S: The budget for the campaign is approximately £12,000.

SMP: How are you making the campaign social?

L&S: The campaign is social because we?re drawing on peoples? networks to help us in our search. Social media can be seen purely in terms of a mass market only tool but in fact, it can be extremely targeted. People self segment by who they choose to connect with. We?ve spent a lot of time over the summer profiling our target market and looking at how they use Twitter.

SMP: Are there any dedicated hash tags or social media profiles for the campaign?

L&S: Yes, #NextGreatLeader and our Twitter handle is @LyleandScottCEO. We?re also on Facebook.

SMP: Where can we see it?

L&S: There is dedicated microsite and you can watch a video at on Vimeo.

SMP: Is there anything else we should know, or is there anything in particular that you?d like to share about the campaign?

L&S: We hope that if our campaign is successful, we will be spearheading a wider industry change in the way we look at sourcing talent in the digital age.

SMP: Best way to contact you and elements of your campaign?

L&S: Contact us on Twitter @LyleandScottCEO using the hashtag #NextGreatLeader.



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