Employer branding that doesn't open its doors to just anyone,
It just helps determine who should go through them.
EB Strategy | Campaign | Careers Page |
Ambassador Program
See how we designed a communication campaign that made it clear right from the start who was on the right track to become an air traffic controller—and who should pursue a different career path.
Customer:
Polska Agencja Żeglugi Powietrznej – PANSA
Completion Date:
2024–2025
Scope of work:
EB Strategy, Research and EVP, Creative and KV, Career Page, Ambassador Program, Recruitment Campaign, and Performance
PANSA – an institution where there is no room for chance
.
The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) is responsible for the safety and smooth flow of air traffic in Polish airspace. Every day, PANSA employees ensure that thousands of flight operations can take place safely, in accordance with plans and procedures. Within this system, the air traffic controller is one of the key |elements.
This isn’t a job for everyone. It’s a profession for people with specific
aptitudes, mental resilience, and a willingness
to make responsible decisions under pressure.
That’s why recruitment communications cannot promise an “easy entry.”
They must be precise, honest, and provide a realistic portrayal of the day-to-day work.
Traffic under control. Why did this project have to repel rather than attract?
.
There are two ways to approach employer branding. The first works like autopilot: broad reach, “apply now,” and a report wrapped up with numbers at the end of the funnel. The second requires manual control, because it doesn’t start with how to attract people, but rather with how to get some of them to consciously opt out.
This is exactly where the story of our collaboration begins. PANSA recruits for one of the most demanding professions on the market—air traffic controller. It’s a job with an extremely high barrier to entry, a ruthless selection process, and a level of responsibility that leaves no room for error. Most candidates imagine this job as a scene from a movie—quick commands, tension, and action. And then they’re confronted with a reality where calm, precision, and responsibility are what matter most.
We wanted to show exactly this true side of the job. That’s why, in this project, instead of saying “come join us,” we said something completely different: “stop for a moment, see what it’s really like, and only then decide if this is the right path for you.”
How did we design a process that leads the right candidates straight to the air traffic control tower?
O1. STRATEGY
First, understand the space; then introduce movement into it. Before any communication took place, we got down to the operational level. We wanted to understand what this work really looks like and at what points a candidate makes decisions that determine the path forward.
We spoke with PANSA employees—from various roles and levels of experience.
Not to hear the “presentation-ready” version, but to hear real stories, tensions, and moments of doubt. We walked through the entire recruitment process step by step, identifying the points where candidates drop out and why that happens.
The result wasn’t a marketing-oriented EVP, but an operational map of the realities of work. We defined target groups not by age or place of residence, but by aptitude. And we mapped out the candidate’s decision-making journey—from their first contact with the brand all the way to the moment they submit their application.
O2. CREATION
(i.e., translating strategy into the language of communication)
Turning knowledge into communication that leads to the goal. Once we knew what needed to be said, it was time to ask, “How?”
Our goal wasn’t to create a single slogan, but rather a communication system that could be scaled and applied at various stages.
We created a Key Visual—a common reference point for all activities. We defined the tone of voice: simple, matter-of-fact, without marketing jargon or emotional flourishes. Facts instead of promises. Concrete details instead of slogans.
O3. AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
(credibility layer)
Where the message ends and the person begins.
Even the most precise narrative isn’t enough if it isn’t backed by the real voices of the people who do this work every day. In a profession as demanding as that of an air traffic controller, credibility is its foundation.
That is why, in this project, we deliberately gave a voice to PANSA employees to show the reality as they know it from the inside.
The ambassadors are people with diverse experiences, perspectives, and at different stages of their careers. Their role is to share what this job is really like, what it entails, and what it demands of a person. Their statements, stories, and presence in the materials have shifted the communication from the institutional level to the human level.
O4. CAREER PAGE
(the command center for the entire process)
One path. One direction.
The career page was designed to serve as the command center for the entire candidate experience. It wasn’t meant to impress with its form or overwhelm with its content. Its purpose was to guide, not distract. Instead of the classic “who we are – benefits – apply” layout, we flipped the logic and aligned it with the candidate’s natural thought process. First, we answer the fundamental question: what exactly is this job, and what is its purpose? Only then do we show the day-to-day reality—the rhythm of work, responsibilities, pressure, and the conditions under which decisions are made. The next step covers the requirements and the recruitment process itself—clearly, specifically, and without ambiguity. The application is the final stage of this journey, not its starting point.
As a result, candidates receive, all in one place, a complete, reliable
picture of the profession, based on reality rather than promises. The website does not encourage hasty decisions—it provides the space for an informed choice.
O5. CAMPAIGN (performance and distribution)
Quality Traffic, Not Quantity
The goal of the campaign was to drive the right kind of traffic at the right moment—traffic that doesn’t end with a mindless click, but rather with users completing the entire decision-making journey. We ran the campaign in a very deliberate manner. Our targeting was based on quality, not reach. We were interested in people with potential, not numbers in the ad manager. That’s why campaign optimization wasn’t based on clicks alone, but on how users navigated the site, where they stopped, and at what stage they decided to take the next step.
The ad was meant to be the first warning sign: information that clearly explains what this role truly entails. Thanks to this, people who landed on the site were already preliminarily “calibrated” to the realities of the air traffic controller profession.
The application was a natural consequence of a well-designed process—a decision made by people who had gone through the entire process with full awareness of the realities of the job.
Less chaos and more control—for both candidates and organizations
.
From the candidates’ perspective
A Better Understanding of the Profession Right from the Start
Candidates were able to compare their expectations with the realities of an air traffic controller’s job more quickly, even before they entered the recruitment process.
Conscious decisions instead of guesswork
The message no longer encouraged people to apply simply because it “sounds interesting,” but instead led them to ask themselves, “Is this the right role for me?”
Fewer false expectations
Instead of cinematic associations, a concrete picture of responsibility, pressure, and demands emerged—without embellishments or oversimplifications.
On the PANSA side
.
A consistent, honest portrayal of the position and the organization
Employer branding is no longer just a collection of messages; it has evolved into a structured system—from advertising to the company website to employee testimonials.
The clear positioning of the profession as an elite one
Not through slogans, but through reality: entry requirements, selection, and responsibility. Without promising an easy start.
Stronger support for the recruitment process
Communication began to serve as the first stage of the selection process, even before the candidate clicked “apply.”
Employer branding, which functions like traffic control—precisely and according to plan
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This project wasn’t about attracting as many candidates as possible, but about maintaining order in the decision-making process—so that only those who are truly suited for the role of air traffic controller end up on the right track.
We designed a communication system that doesn’t cut corners, doesn’t oversimplify reality, and doesn’t promise a soft landing where there isn’t one. Instead, it guides the candidate step by step: from the first contact with the brand, through understanding the realities of the job, all the way to the moment of an informed decision—“I’ll apply” or “this isn’t the right path for me.”
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