FCO Services Takes 2D Barcodes to a New Recruitment

FCO Services takes 2D barcodes to new recruitment dimension

FCO Services, a Trading Fund of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, is
putting new technology to the recruitment test. Working with TMP Worldwide, the
recruitment communications business, FCO Services launched a campaign using 2D
barcodes to recruit security and technology experts.

Marco Bertozzi, Director of Digital and Media at TMP Worldwide, explains: “This is the
first-time that a 2D barcode has been used as a targeting tool in a recruitment
campaign. We know that, for most people, 2D barcodes will mean very little.
However, when FCO Services needed to recruit technical security specialists, they
understood that their applicant base would recognise this technology, know how to
interact with it and be curious about its use in a recruitment drive. Applicants use
their phones to scan the 2D barcode which launches a WAP-enabled recruitment
website. This acted as a first-stage filter for the campaign, as only those who
understood the technology and its application would progress their application.”

The technology to power the campaign was provided by TMP Worldwide’s mobile
partner, Velti. The company’s Mobile Marketing Platform (MMP) enabled the creation
of WAP landing pages and the use of 2D barcodes to generate value for interested
job applicants.

The print campaign initially ran in the technology section of a national UK newspaper
and local newspapers. It was also supported by a more traditional digital campaign
on major job boards to ensure that FCO Services maintained visibility and captured
people who might not have the required technology on their phones or access to the
press choices.

2D barcodes are a way to encode information, just like conventional barcodes, but
they can encode significantly more. The FCO Services 2D barcode contained the
information www.fcossecurity.mobi. When the image is photographed or scanned,
special decoding software reads the encoded information and prompts the phone’s
browser to visit the URL. This type of technology is common in Japan where some
organisations are already featuring barcodes containing contact information on their
business cards.

FCO Services is part of the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office, it delivers a unique
range of security related services all over the world to embassies and high security
sites they install security and communications systems using leading-edge
technology. The campaign is aimed at attracting candidates who are excited by the
opportunities presented with the latest in high tech security solutions.

FCO Services said: “Increasing business volumes means we have a real need to
attract the best technical installation specialists to work with us here and abroad.
Developing the talents of our employees and creating a high-performance culture is
vital for us to deliver for our customers, and gives our people the opportunity to use
cutting-edge technology in security installation working on exciting projects around
the world. This innovative campaign communicates just that.”

The campaign launched at the end of November and ran until the end of the first
week in December.

-ENDS-

FCO Services
FCO Services is a Trading Fund of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. It is a
worldwide multi-service organisation delivering secure products and services,
primarily to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and other public and private sector
organisations. Secure solutions delivered include ICT systems, building construction
& management, technical and protective security and global logistics. FCO Services
comprises around 1,000 staff and has a turnover of approximately £113m per
annum. It operates from 3 sites in the UK; Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes, Old
Admiralty Building, and King Charles St, London. There are also around 100 FCO
Services’ staff serving at FCO posts overseas.

About TMP Worldwide (www.tmpw.co.uk)
TMP Worldwide in the UK & Ireland provides recruitment advertising and manages
the process of hiring from everyday roles through to senior positions. Its end-to-end
solutions provide a pain free way to get the best candidates onboard, designing and
delivering everything critical for the hiring process from job profiling to candidate
management and executive search. TMP Worldwide is one of the largest
organisations of its kind, with ten offices across the UK & Ireland and it works as part
of a global network which enables it to provide a tailored service on both a local,
national and global level. Its creative approach to recruitment communications
means it has won multiple-awards for its campaigns across the private and public
sector.

About Velti
Velti’s market-leading mobile marketing technology platform, coupled with its
experience in the mobile advertising industry, enables clients around the world to
deliver an extensive range of highly targeted marketing campaigns. With operations
in 25 countries, and a mobile marketing joint venture with the Interpublic group, a
top global holding group of advertising agencies, Velti has the ability to reach
through its platform an estimated 1.4 billion consumers. Velti’s unique Mobile
Marketing and Advertising Platform manages the full cycle of planning, execution and
monitoring of multiple campaigns across differing mobile formats and channels,
offering customers more than 70 mobile marketing and advertising templates, which
can be managed from one user interface. For more information, visit www.velti.com.

Contacts

Weber Shandwick
Joe Walton
Senior Account Executive
jwalton@webershandwick.com
+44 (0)207 067 0511

Velti
Nick Miles
PR Manager
nmiles@velti.com