May 2006: In this issue. . .

The War for Marketing Talent Marches On...

Are You Winning?

By Ron Torch, CEO & Chief Marketing Officer - Torch Group Inc.

As the war for marketing talent marches on in the second quarter, recruitment is again becoming a huge issue, and the battlefield is changing. More job openings are being targeted at an increasingly smaller number ofqualified candidates. The search for talent is borderless and global in nature. There are best practices to learn and profit from. But technology, online recruiting and word-of-mouthmarketing is having a dramatic impact on how the talent war is being fought.

Are you using any tactics such as buzz marketing, viral marketing, community marketing, grassroots marketing, evangelist marketing, seeding, influencer marketing, cause marketing, conversation creation, blogging, stealth marketing and referral marketing? These are all great tactics, but we've got some useful information for you that can help you lock on to your target talent. But first, let's take a quick look at what is driving this war for marketing talent.

What's driving the war...

Today's high demand for talent is fueled by increased investment dollars, a strong economy and a shrinking talent pool. This trend is expected to continue with business expansions, product launches and more competitive sales and marketing initiatives. In March, the Consumer Confidence Index jumped to its highest level in almost four years. And with the administration's policy of tax cuts, it has all added up to 31 straight months of jobs growth.

Recent marketing survey findings are even more compelling:

• CareerBuilder.com's forecast found 30 percent of managers plan to increase their staff.

• One-third of hiring managers say they will do the majority of hiring in the second quarter.

• Job gains are broad-based with more than 430,000 jobs created in the first two months.

Sourcing Marketing Talent in the Heat of Battle

Why has the war for marketing talent escalated? It's no secret that the best trained marketing talent comes from the consumer packaged goods boot camps at P&G, Pepsi, Quaker and Kraft. These names are synonymous with great brands driven by great marketing talent from great business schools like Harvard, Kellogg, Tuck and Wharton. Up until recently, however, most companies outside of the consumer products sector did not recognize or could not attract this talent. Suddenly, having adopted a marketing orientation, even the most industrial, manufacturing-oriented companies along with their retail, healthcare and financial services counterparts, are gunning for this marketing leadership.

The best talent is gainfully employed and your competitors are aggressively attracting this passive pool of professionals. Are you attracting the marketing talent you need? If you haven't already deployed a revitalized and revamped recruiting strategy, you will lose the marketing talent war. But it's not too late. There are many battle-proven tactics you can do to turn around the war in your favor to attract top marketing talent to your organization. Simply start by changing your recruiting strategies now.

Here are Torch Group's Top Ten recruiting strategies that can help you win the war for marketing talent:

1. Know exactly what you're looking for BEFORE you start looking.
2. Define an efficient recruiting process.
3. Have a set time frame for making the marketing hire.
4. Have realistic expectations about the profile you are targeting.
5. Be creative, try new tactics and methods.
6. Shorten your recruiting and hiring process, eliminate unnecessary steps.
7. Consolidate interviews, timing, and people whenever possible.
8. Be decisive, act quickly, or someone else will hire your top candidate.
9. Don't over analyze your hiring decision.
10. Hire an identified "A" candidate in 10 days or a competitor will.

Finally, the Torch Group can be your strategic partner in recruiting the best marketing talent to meet your business needs. If you have more questions about these tips, or just need more information, feel free to give us a call at 440-519-1822 or email us at rtorch@torchgroup.com.

Because the Torch Group specializes in over 80 marketing sub-disciplines, we have national and local databases with over 50,000 marketing, communications, sales and creative services professionals across 50 different industry sectors. We proactively recruit talent using state-of-the-art Internet tools and word-of mouth marketing. In addition, our subscription based job alert e-mails reach the very best passive prospects on a regular basis.

We have access not only to people, but also to information through research and resources within each of the marketing disciplines. This allows us to identify candidates with the knowledge, skills and attitudes you seek who were previously unavailable or difficult to find. Enabled by information and communication technology, individuals today collaborate from geographically dispersed locations to a much larger degree than ever before. This has led to the emergence of our virtual marketing network, which enables us to reach more candidates, more frequently.

We can help you. Give us a call today.

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We can help.

As acknowledged experts in the field of marketing and innovative talent solutions, we’re structured and poised to help you find that perfect CIO -- or complement your existing staff with highly-specialized marketing talent. Whichever way you go, Torch Group can be a valued partner to your company. We’re experienced in finding the talented full-time marketing professionals you need . . . or flexible marketing contractors and consultants if desired. Give me a call at 440.519.1822 or e-mail me at rontorch@torchgroup.com.

Ronald S. Torch
President & CEO
Torch Group, Inc.
. . . your source for marketing talent