ManpowerGroup Evolution to Innovative Workforce Solutions Company Strikes Chord

MILWAUKEE, April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup™, (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, says the evolution of its brand from Manpower Inc. to ManpowerGroup in order to help clients navigate the new complexity and challenges posed by the Human Age is resonating around the world as access to talent replaces access to capital as the key competitive differentiator.

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"In this new reality, those companies who understand how to find the scarce talent they need and who are able to engage them on a human level will enjoy a competitive advantage," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO. "Companies are now seeking an entire continuum of innovative workforce solutions to meet the demands of innovation, talent and productivity. This dynamic mix of services and solutions will help employers fill the gap between where their business is currently and where they want it to be."

ManpowerGroup announced on 30 March that it was evolving its organization and family of brands to differentiate the strength of each brand and provide a more robust group identity, while also reflecting the forward progress of the company and better articulating the full suite of solutions it offers to help clients win in the changing world of work. A significant milestone of the company's brand evolution came yesterday with the launch of Experis™, ManpowerGroup's new professional resourcing and project-based workforce solutions brand, in the U.S., Canada and France.

Experis, which represents "experience" and "expertise," specializes in IT, finance and accounting, and engineering professional skills and will accelerate organizations' growth by attracting, assessing and placing this specialized expertise to deliver in-demand talent for mission-critical positions. The launch of Experis in these three countries represents the opportunity ManpowerGroup sees in those markets to help companies and individuals accelerate. This launch marks the first of a series of countries that will transition to the new Experis brand in phases over the coming months.

"With a base of nearly $3 billion in providing clients with the specialized skills they need in over 50 countries worldwide, Experis is set to be the global leader in professional resourcing, taking companies' and individuals' success to new heights," said Joerres. "Our Experis brand logo stands for 'breakthrough,' a fitting compliment to our new ManpowerGroup brand logo, which stands for 'progress,' and represents how ManpowerGroup has always leaned forward when others have fallen back."

Analysts, media and marketing experts have reacted positively in response to ManpowerGroup's evolution of its brand and the names and logos it has chosen. Industry analysts report that separate brands may allow ManpowerGroup to set different pricing points and raise the level of conversation within a client.

Marketing experts were fulsome in their praise for the subtle renaming of the company, commenting that it was clearly building on its unique culture and history while simultaneously reinventing itself to remain contemporary in vastly different post-recession era. Jonathan Schroeder, communications professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, said: "Inc. sounds like a faceless corporation, where 'group' sounds more human, more in touch." Deborah Mitchell, marketing professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and executive director of the school's Center for Brand and Product Management, in review of ManpowerGroup's intentional void of space between Manpower and Group, said: "'Group' is more contemporary, as is bumping words together."(1)

"Our name change, while not radical, is significant. That was our intention," added Joerres. "We are celebrating our history, culture and passion, while creating a stronger, more connected family of brands to tell the world that the umbrella of solutions that we provide is much bigger than what people may have previously thought."

Agenda, a weekly e-newsletter aimed at corporate directors, said that the re-branding represented much more than merely changing the company name and logos. It highlighted the extensive research undertaken by ManpowerGroup over several years which led the company to the conclusion that employers are facing a far more chaotic and complex marketplace in the aftermath of the downturn. Agenda remarked, "Manpower is one example of how to do it (branding) right. Manpower found that 31 percent of employers across the globe face a shortage of suitable job candidates. As a result, the company now serves as the entire human resources division for some firms."

As the post-recession pressure to do more with less continues and shifting demographics, power moves from  organizations to individuals, the growth of emerging markets continue to outpace mature markets and technological revolutions change how, when and where work gets done, finding the right talent is going to become more of a challenge. Companies must become more agile in the ways they attract and retain talent, engaging their employees to unleash their human potential, if they are to successfully navigate the new reality.    

About ManpowerGroup™

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $19 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined – because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowergroupjj

(1) http://www.jsonline.com/business/118884594.html

SOURCE ManpowerGroup