A global perspective on smarter hiring:
When it comes to talent attraction in a global organisation, complexity is the norm. That’s something Sunny, Global Paid and Organic Social Media Manager at Arup, knows all too well.
“With so many regions, job roles, and stakeholders involved, it can be really hard to track what’s working and where,”
Sunny partnered with Wiser to run a focused pilot campaign, a test case designed to deliver one thing: clarity. As part of our Wiser Expert series, we sat down with him to explore how pilot campaigns not only help simplify hiring complexity but also lay the groundwork for scalable success.
What is a pilot campaign?
Think of a pilot campaign as a scaled-down representation of your broader vision. It’s a smaller, lower-risk version of a bigger play. Whether you’re looking at employer brand, DEI, or talent attraction specifically, a pilot allows you to test methodology, troubleshoot systems, and build your business case—all before rolling out on a global scale.
It’s less about perfection and more about proof.
The challenge: getting a clear picture of talent attraction
The challenge was simple to articulate but tricky to solve: track and understand the full candidate journey, with all the data and touchpoints aligned across regions and platforms. This would then allow us to target talent at the right time to drive brand awareness, encourage talent to consider a role at Arup and ultimately drive application uplift.
“Often the problem is trying to get a holistic view of what’s going on. You’ve got so many moving parts, and unless everything connects, it’s hard to know where to put your energy.”
The solution: commissioning a pilot campaign
We needed to test if we could track everything accurately and bring it all into one place.
That’s where the pilot came in.
The campaign focused on a specific region and sector. The idea was to build a closed-loop system that would help them analyse user behaviour, engagement, and application flow in a tangible, replicable way.
“This wasn’t just about reporting. It was about seeing what tools we already had, what we were capable of, and what gaps we needed to fix before scaling.”
The impact: from insight to action
The outcomes of the pilot weren’t just theoretical, they delivered tangible business value and strategic alignment across the board.
1. Connect internal teams
Before the pilot, internal communications and hiring efforts were often fragmented across regions. Each team had their own way of working, its own objectives, and their own interpretation of success.
“We had communications people in different countries all trying to do their bit. The pilot created a shared language and understanding.”
This alignment enabled smoother collaboration and helped build a consistent candidate experience across campaign touch points. The campaign brought together disparate efforts under a unified framework, improving internal trust and decision-making.
2. Unify data sources
Data fragmentation was another challenge. Talent attraction metrics were scattered across tools, social channels like Instagram and LinkedIn, internal ATS systems, and website analytics. The pilot campaign provided the structure to consolidate all these data streams.
“We finally had one place where we could compare and contrast. It helped us identify the channels driving the most impact, where candidates were dropping off, and where we had technical or messaging gaps.”
By centralising these insights, Sunny and his team could optimise their future campaigns more strategically making smarter use of platforms, budget, and time.
3. Drive budget conversations
Perhaps the most significant benefit was the impact the pilot had on internal buy-in. As Sunny put it, You need proof to ask for investment.
The pilot provided a concrete, data-backed report that demonstrated ROI, not just in engagement or impressions, but in application uplift and reduced drop-off rates across the funnel. This gave stakeholders something substantial to review and respond to.
“The report showed where the money would go and what we’d get in return; it changed the tone of our budget conversations completely.”
Final thought: pilots build the case for progress
A pilot campaign isn’t a side project. It’s the smart way to de-risk a larger strategy. It shows your stakeholders what’s possible, what’s missing, and what needs to be fixed.
In Sunny’s case it was a game-changer.
“We’ve got better visibility, better alignment, and now we’re ready to scale.”
If you’re facing similar challenges, consider a pilot. The clarity you gain might just be worth more than the campaign itself.
