IAI recruitment campaign reaches 4m on social media

Gili May Credit: Eyal Izhar
Gili May Credit: Eyal Izhar

CRO Gili May told the Globes MAD conference about Israel Aerospace's controversial campaign, which criticized rivals and stressed the importance of IAI.

To illustrate his main preoccupation at work, Israel Aerospace Industries chief relationship officer Gili May points at a picture of the Ofek 16 satellite, which was launched during the Covid pandemic. May, who participated in the "Globes" MAD (Media and Digital) Conference in Tel Aviv earlier this month said, "As somebody who was in the room during the countdown and then ran out to see the rocket launched, I can tell you with great authority that there is no such equivalent experience. There is no other product or feature that can provide such a feeling. We want through marketing to convey this to our clients."

May said that IAI has 15,000 employees, and another 50,000 people indirectly employed. "We operate in 100 countries and had sales revenue of NIS 4.5 billion in 2021. We hire 1,000 employees each year.

"Not long ago the situation in the high-tech market was different - new Teslas, 24 flavors of ice cream, campaigns throughout the country. We thought to ourselves, how do we even get our foot in the door? We took all the relevant people at the company, and conducted deep research.

"We studied the rivals and the clients in Israel and worldwide. We knew who everybody was and what they do and what the people that could work for us want. The main value that arose was work discipline. That is the point that connects between us and the people that we want to recruit. When you work for IAI, it is something significant, technological, for the security of the state. It's the easiest because it is something genuine. A campaign cannot succeed without this."

According to May the campaign to hire employees, which included criticism of the tech companies in the market, took courage. "People won't come if I just put a picture of the satellite. We drew the conclusion that this is the time and the hour to embark on an explosive dialogue and talk about something close to the heart. So we got started.

"It caught fire immediately and people thought that the campaign was running throughout the country but with just two signs with images from Shutterstock and 625 posts, we achieved huge results. At first it was difficult. There were articles attacking the campaign but by the weekend there were good and supportive articles that said there is high-tech and there is high-tech. There were those who wanted to stop because people were insulted but we didn't stop."

The campaign led to an 800% rise in searches for IAI, and more than 35 articles and 625 posts on social media, reaching 4 million people. But regarding the practical results of the campaign, in other words, hiring employees, the results were less immediate. "To hire people takes time. It's not a journey that takes place over a short period of time."

Full disclosure: The "Globes" MAD Conference was held in partnership with Bank Hapoalim, Israel Aerospace Industries, TikTok, Melisron (Ofer Malls), Taboola, Lavi Media and the Ifat Group.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 25 2022.

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2022.

Gili May Credit: Eyal Izhar
Gili May Credit: Eyal Izhar
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