James Ellis
Chief BranderEmployer Brand Labs
James Ellis is an authority on employer branding, focusing on companies who think they have no choice but to post and pray for talent. Over the past decade, he has built the brands for more than a dozen of companies and supported the development and activation of dozens more.
He is the principal of Employer Brand Labs in Chicago, an author, keynote speaker, practitioner, and podcaster with a wealth of experience across multiple industries for almost a decade. James’ achievements include authoring what’s been called the bible of employer branding, managing the number one employer brand newsletter in the world and helping companies globally establish and develop their ability to hire talent.
8:30–9:10 am PDT —
With a title like that, I know what you're expecting: "Create advocates!" and "Make more content!" Nope. This is NOT going to be that kind of session.
This is going to be more of a "flip the tables over and set fire to the entire industry" session. The kind that may completely change your mind about what employer branding can be and do at your company.
In this provocative and brutally honest presentation, we'll challenge everything you've been told about employer branding. We'll expose why 95% of employer branding deliverables are expensive decoration that recruiters never use, why the standard six-month timeline is a revenue strategy (not a necessity), and why your generic "great culture" claims are killing your response rates.
It's time to have your assumptions challenged and leave with practical strategies that will fundamentally change how you approach employer branding—transforming it from a cost center into a competitive advantage that drives revenue, reduces costs, and accelerates growth.
Warning: Side effects may include the sudden urge to completely rebuild your recruiting strategy and uncomfortable questions for your current branding agency.