KHJ helped Encore Boston Harbor hire over 5,500 new employees in only months—something that had never been attempted in Massachusetts history.
Forbes Travel Guide called it one of the most anticipated hotel openings of the year. However, before Encore Boston Harbor could get it’s operations up and running in time for the big day, the $2.6 billion resort and casino needed to hire over 5,500 qualified employees of all types, at all levels.
It was a daunting challenge. With a low unemployment rate of just 3.1%, the local job market was super tight. And while the Encore brand has tremendous cachet in Las Vegas, awareness was less than 1% in the Boston market. Candidates also had to meet exceptionally high standards. Many wouldn’t make it through the rigorous screening process, so the company had to screen over 90,000 applications to be successful.
“It was a daunting challenge. The local unemployment rate was a low 3.1%…”
Michael Panagako—Managing Partner/Growth & Strategy
KHJ’s solution, “You deserve an Encore,” promised prospects who were complacent in their current jobs a chance to have a more exciting and fulfilling career. We launched a massive media blitz that included a total takeover of North Station, MBTA train wraps, digital and social, radio, and out-of-the-box promotions to support job fairs.
While our mass media tactics were essential for introducing the Encore brand to Boston and beyond, it was our digital campaign that moved the needle in attracting top talent. In addition to programmatic display, social, search and other digital tactics, we also engaged entertainment and nightlife influencers to create content and promote Encore careers on their own personal channels.
“This campaign went live before our brand launch, so it had to do double duty to recruit talent and introduce Encore to the world.”
Annie Allman—SVP, Strategic Marketing at Encore Boston Harbor
We segmented our audience, then guided them through the funnel, from the heights of brand awareness to the specifics of job applications.
