The talent wars

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advise employers on how to recognize and reward their best employees in order to retain and motivate top talent during a recession.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores, with commentary from leaders in the marketing industry, business‐to‐employee marketing (B2E) and employee incentive programs as a means to enhance employee loyalty and customer service.

Findings

Good people retain career mobility even in tough times; simply having a job is not a sufficient employee motivator during tough times. Retaining your top performers pays out both in the short term, by helping to avoid Circuit City‐style meltdowns, and in the long term, by retaining their expertise, skills, contacts and relationships.

Practical implications

By rewarding employees as businesses would consumers, marketers can enhance their employees' work experience and thus expand their bottom line.

Originality/value

The paper has exclusive interviews with representatives from some of the largest marketing firms in the industry today and provides tangible tips and tools to utilize in the real world.

Citation

Ferguson, R. and Brohaugh, B. (2009), "The talent wars", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 358-362. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760910976619