In this episode of the VMJPod’s Employer Brand Series, host David Macciocca sits down with his co-host, Grant O’Donnell, Employer Brand Manager at Nine, to unpack one of the biggest challenges in employer branding: proving ROI and business impact.
Grant shares how he transitioned from recruitment marketing into employer branding, the misconceptions he’s had to navigate along the way, and the methods Nine uses to connect EB efforts to measurable outcomes.
Grant’s career started in recruitment marketing, and he admits the shift into employer branding came with its challenges.
“A lot of the times where that’s been successful has been because you’ve got leaders who just get it, and they understand the value. But in many other cases, you have to show them.”
That need to prove impact became the foundation for how he approached employer branding at Nine.
For Grant, measurement goes beyond vanity metrics like impressions or clicks.
“Because of the job that we’re doing and the activity we have in market, we’re getting a better quality of candidate. That can be a quantitative mechanism you’re getting through the talent acquisition team — the type of candidates you’re bringing in.”
By connecting EB activity directly to candidate quality and stronger pipelines, Grant ensures leaders see employer brand as more than just a marketing exercise.
Nine’s size and structure presented a unique challenge: aligning multiple sub-brands under one EVP while still allowing for creative expression.
“You’ve got to balance consistency with flexibility. The EVP has to feel true across the whole organisation, but it also needs to resonate with very different talent audiences.”
This balancing act requires both discipline and creativity, keeping the brand strong, while empowering teams to adapt messaging to their markets.
At its core, Grant believes employer branding works best when driven by authentic stories.
“The most powerful thing you can do is let employees speak for themselves. That’s what really resonates, it’s what convinces candidates and it’s what leaders notice too.”
Grant closes with practical advice for EB leaders who want to have greater influence:
“Don’t just talk about awareness or reach. Talk about business value. Show how employer brand makes hiring faster, cheaper, or better. That’s when you get buy-in.”
Employer branding at Nine is less about campaigns and more about proving impact through candidate quality, EVP alignment, and employee storytelling.
As Grant puts it, success comes when leaders can see employer brand not as a cost, but as a driver of business value.