ManpowerGroup was already doing much more than recruitment. It supported JINC, created initiatives for people with distance from the labour market, trained people and even built a translation agency for refugees.
But the question was: why?
There were many good initiatives, but no single guiding story connecting them. ManpowerGroup was looking for its why: the story behind the societal role it was already playing but had not yet articulated sharply enough.
The world of work is changing fast. New technology, digitalisation, labour shortages and changing expectations among talent demand something different from employers, employees and recruitment organisations.
Finding a job matters, but it is no longer enough. People need to stay relevant. Organisations need to renew their skills. Talent needs to keep developing in a labour market moving ever faster.
For ManpowerGroup, the challenge therefore went beyond visibility or campaign communications. The bigger question was: what role does ManpowerGroup play in a world where work is not only about income, but also about development, dignity, participation and progress?
And the story had to work not only for ManpowerGroup as the parent brand, but for Manpower and Experis too. Each brand had its own audience, dynamics and promise, while remaining connected to the larger story.
The real question became: how do you build one guiding narrative for a family of brands in the world of work without losing the individual strength of each brand?
The breakthrough came from rediscovering the origins. In an old memo by founder Elmer Winter, the Winter-gram, the core idea was already there: work is about more than pay. Businesses also have a responsibility to people for whom access to work is less straightforward. And an organisation can perform well precisely by doing good.
The central idea became:
Doing well by doing good.
That shifted the story.
From: helping people find work.
To: developing talent and enabling participation.
From: recruitment.
To: societal progress through work.
The narrative showed that ManpowerGroup’s social initiatives were not isolated projects, but proof of a deeper belief: everyone has talent, and work can move people, organisations and society forward.
Truman first developed the foundation for ManpowerGroup using a True Story Canvas®. We then created separate True Story Canvases for Experis and Manpower, giving each brand its own story while keeping it connected to the parent brand.
The movement came by shifting from finding work to growing talent.
From: filling vacancies.
To: giving people opportunities.
From: separate social initiatives.
To: one credible story about talent, development and participation.
From: separate brands.
To: a connected portfolio with room for difference.
For ManpowerGroup, the narrative gave direction to employer branding, content and brand communications. For Manpower and Experis, it created space to sharpen their individual propositions. In this way, the story did not become a corporate layer sitting above the brands, but a shared foundation explaining where ManpowerGroup comes from, what it stands for and why it matters in the world of work.
Truman developed, among others:
