My Trip to Napa (and a Peculiar Example of Employment Marketing)

My wife and I were blessed with a babysitter this weekend, so we went to Napa to 'get away from it all'.  It has been a hectic couple of months with the move, starting the new job at Google, conquering the California DMV, finding a place to live, and generally getting settled in Northern California.  So off we went to Napa; neither of us had been before.

So I'm driving to the hotel after making a Starbucks run this morning, and I suddenly slam on the brakes (which is never really a good idea with my wife in the car) and stare at this corporate campus near the hotel, because they are displaying a banner that I found to be unique.  So I asked my wife to take a picture of it, and knew that I'd end up writing a blog post about it.  This ended up spawning a conversation on whether blogging was work-related or a personal hobby and whether I should even be thinking about it whilst vacationing in Napa.  This never really got resolved (which is it?)

But I did get the picture.  I blurred out the company name in the picture, but posted it here.

Download emp_app.jpg

What I found intriguing about this banner was I could not identify the intended audience.  Was it for potential candidates, as some sort of employment branding collateral?  Or was it intended as a reminder to employees of the corporation's commitment to them as they arrive to work every day?  Or maybe it was both.  It certainly was...blazoned in a highly conspicuous way. 

I couldn't tell, so thought I would post it here, and ask  "Why do you think they posted this banner?"   

Comments

[Pascal Venier]

... perhaps it was an April fool hoax? ;^)

[AjiNIMC]

Does the banner belong to the same company that owns the gate/grill (where banner is put) :)?

Every time you are on the road (outside the office campus) it looks as if the company really appreciates its employees but when you are inside, the banner is not visible :).

[BryanB]

If it's a consumer products company, perhaps also a marketing tool? Perhaps a way of differentiating itself from competitors? A way of avoiding unionization? Simply a nice thing to do? :)

[christin]

My guess would be a combo - it's a testament to potentials that at X company, YOU ARE APPRECIATED! And to the employees already there, it's a reminder - my guess is that internally that banner is snickered at or met with much eye-rolling...just a guess.

[luke]

Is that the age old MS Paint spray paint function utilized to hide the identity of the company? Wow. I was unaware that people still used that.

[KV]

The intended audience was probably internal employees and the company's customers.
The banner seems a futile attempt by the company's management to convince themselves and others that they care about employees. I'm sure we've heard, "when someones says, 'trust me', DON'T." Seth Godin's post linked above is along the same lines.

When you work for a good company, you don't need a sign to let you know that you're appreciated. Its in the air, and in people's words.

[Jacqui]

It seems to me like the result of an over-emphasis on the advice of a poor corporate culture consultant.
I've worked in offices that have fallen prey to the same type of advice - much money spent on advice and props that result in nothing more than the above mentioned eye-rolls.
The funny thing is these offices actually did apprecaite their employees - and it showed. It was "in the air" as KV mentioned - which just made the cheesy attempts more humorous.

[philip]

This is one of the few times I've heard blogging physically endangering another person. Is blogging personal or work related? Probably a bit of both. For me, I see it as very work related, but also a lot of fun, so I do it in my "spare time" some too... just because I enjoy it.

[Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com]

It seems to me that this fits into the same category as car commercials. The auto manufacturers run car ads both to sell cars (equivalent to recruiting new employees) and reinforce the purchase decision of existing employees (equivalent to stating your appreciation to your existing employees). Whether the banner was intended to help with recruitment or retention or both, it is a pretty inexpensive way for the employer to positively differentiate itself.

[Christie]

Living in the bay area, I remember seeing this banner some time ago and remarking on it myself. Since it's been posted so long, it's probably not an event-related banner. (Assuming it's the same banner.) I would like to believe there's a back story to it, and fond of imagining such things, I came up with a few based on my own experiences:

- The company was trying to overcome some bad PR with regards to employee relations (such as lawsuits, etc.) Possibly, even, as a result of some court settlement, some effort had to be made to improve employee relations.

- This is a government contractor who was required to spend a certain percentage of their budget on employee morale.

- Corporate headquarters declared that productivity was low at this particular site and instructed the site management to do something about it.

- Someone's brother/cousin/friend had just started up a new sign construction business and convinced someone with purchasing power at the company to help get them started.

It never occurred to me that it was intended for recruitment purposes. I think the most striking thing is the apparent disinterest in the effect of the banner. Straight block lettering and posting at the entrance seem to be obligatory like the "thank you" they print on restaurant bills.

[Bruce]

I'm inclined to agree with Christie. The banner seems so impersonal. 'We can't be bothered to thank employees individually. Here peons, enjoy your sign'.

[Michael]

The only audience that sign seems to be intended for is people who notice spelling errors. I can't believe in a year's time nobody bothered to mention that the word appreciates has an extra p in it.

Do I win something? :)

To say that you appreciate your employees is one thing. To actually follow up on it is another. A company shouldn't have to post a sign stating its appreciation for its employees. If they truly do, the employees will get the message out. They'll have homemade bumper stickers on their cars and posts on their blogs touting their employers' appreciation of their efforts.

[Old Couple]

The only audience that sign seems to be intended for is people who notice spelling errors. I can't believe in a year's time nobody bothered to mention that the word appreciates has an extra p in it....

I totally agree with this comment, thanks for sharing, have a nice day!!