For decades, every Ukrainian job search engine was pushing the same rational benefit—the number of unfilled vacancies available. This led to a situation where market leaders, including rabota.ua, were competing on the same turf by promising an ever-expanding choice of vacancies, and nothing else.
Numbers trumped quality: every vacancy looked the same, uninspiring, boring. This put people off—scrolling through job search websites was an act of desperation, only done when a person had simply run out of other options—help of friends, professional connections—or finding a job. We faced a situation where thousands of people were looking for new positions, while thousands of vacancies remained unfilled: the market stagnated.
To solve this problem and pull ahead we needed to start by changing attitudes to rabota.ua. But how do you come across as unique when you’re offering a service that isn’t at all unique? So we looked at what work means to Ukrainians. We discovered that for most people work is a vital part of life. And if work is life, then why waste your life in a job you hate? This question became the basis of the new rabota.ua branding strategy.
We stopped talking about rational benefits and switched to emotional advantages. Still, to make our message relevant both to people seeking jobs and to employers seeking perfect workers, we needed to tap into a universal insight. Why do companies need new workers? Why do employees want career switches?
The answer was simple—opportunities. From just another job search website boasting about millions of vacancies rabota.ua turned into a service offering endless opportunities, helping people to chase their dreams and helping employers find the right workers. Instead of being a last resort, used only when all else failed, rabota.ua became a medium, providing consistent professional growth to its users.
We started these changes from within. In 2017 rabota.ua underwent total rebranding. We turned the naive style of street advertising into the visual language of rabota.ua. Familiar elements, which people are used to seeing daily on the streets, helped grab their attention online and motivate them to seek out their true vocation.
Wherever they looked, people faced the same question: Why not you? These three words inspired the core strategic message of rabota.ua’s new campaign—turning into an inspirational manifesto that spurred people to go for their dreams. Challenging stories about somebody else’s success appeared on the streets, went down onto the metro and were aired on radio.
The new campaign encouraged people across the country to believe in themselves and, as a result, use rabota.ua more actively. Compared to the period before the campaign, the top-of-mind awareness grew by 6%. And more users stated they would definitely come back: 7% increase of the intention. Our offline and online activity generated hundreds of articles and social media posts. Before the eyes of the entire country, a single job site transformed itself into a genuine helper, inspiring millions of people to go for their goals and build their future—all that with a little help from rabota.ua.
