For employers, standing out in the competitive academic jobs market is a fine art, and a prime way to do so is through branded content marketing.
Employer branded content prioritizes audience engagement, enabling a deep and lasting connection to be formed with readers. It is, however, very important to find the right partner brand who shares your values and can help you reach and speak to your chosen audience.
Springer Nature, with its established reputation and connection with the scientific community, is a well-placed branded content partner. Clients like Baden-Württemberg International (BW_i) see their messaging translated into compelling articles that scientific audiences read and enjoy.
Situated in the heart of Europe, economic powerhouse Baden-Württemberg is the most successful state in the German Excellence Strategy. Investing 5.8% of GDP in R&D, the state’s high levels of research funding far outstrip those of Germany as a whole. Great academic institutions produce world-class research here. Home to global players including Daimler, Bosch, and Porsche, Baden-Württemberg is also a highly attractive destination for start-ups and small businesses. And it’s well known for its enviably high quality of life, with its lakes, forests, and bustling cities.
The marketing team at Baden-Württemberg International (BW_i) works hard to strengthen the state’s position as a globally competitive location for business and science. Working with external agencies, BW_i’s aim is to attract talent, investors, and cooperation partners to this leading innovation region and support local scientific institutions in their international journey.
The name Baden-Württemberg, and what it stands for, is well known in Germany but less so abroad. For this project, the task in hand for BW_i was to increase visibility abroad, communicating to the international research community the exceptional opportunities the state has to offer. By collaborating on branded content with Nature Research Custom Media at Springer Nature, BW_i planned to share their story on a grand scale.
Partnering with Springer Nature to make their message stand out from the crowd was the obvious solution for BW_i, for many significant reasons:
BW_i and Springer Nature worked together to produce topics that reflected a range of Baden-Württemberg’s strengths and leadership in different fields.
Springer Nature then created a series of three branded content articles which were published on Nature.com, running consecutively from June 2021 to March 2022:
Springer Nature’s team of marketers promoted the articles through Facebook advertising and native and banner ads on Nature.com.
What BW_i particularly liked about these articles was the way that Nature Research Custom Media’s skilled authors took complex research topics and made them easy to understand, whilst also subtly showcasing Baden-Württemberg as a highly desirable career destination.
Extending the campaign over the course of a year enabled BW_i to keep in touch with their audience, consolidating their message further as time went on.
Once the campaign was complete, BW_i was able to access a detailed analysis of how their audience had engaged with their story, both through social media and on Nature.com.
BW_i’s main aim for the campaign was to boost awareness and interest in Baden-Württemberg among international scientists, and they were pleased with the high level of reader engagement:
