Nowadays, companies are facing an increasingly competitive landscape forrecruiting and retaining talented employees. Workforce demographics paired withage- and value-diverse workplaces make effective talent management a competitive necessity. Consequently, the establishment of an employer brand positioning has become a critical success factor for the continued existence of a company and to increase the attractiveness as an employer to achieve the ultimate aim of becoming an employer of choice.The present master thesis deals with the development of an employer branding positioning concept to attract blue-collar workers and apprentices in the packaging industry. The outcomes of the thesis are supposed to provide Mondi’s two production plants, located in Zeltweg, Styria, with a positioning concept as well as corresponding measures to increase the number of applicants and to properly fill vacancies. Furthermore, the objective to increase the brand awareness among the targeted groups is followed and it is aimed at achieving a clearly defined positioning of the company within the regional employment market.The thesis is divided into three major sections, namely introduction, theoretical part and practical part. Within the introduction section the initial situation is investigated,followed by an examination of the company objectives and the definition of the master thesis objective. Thereafter, a framework defining relevant theories and the structure of the work is provided. The theoretical part provides an introduction to the topic employer choice followed by exploring the challenges of addressing the two targeted groups before examining the principles of employer branding. The final partof the theory covers the process of developing an employer branding positioning concept, which is used as a base for Mondi’ positioning strategy. The practical part of the present thesis is devoted to a detailed internal and external analyses. The former investigates the strengths and weaknesses of the firm as an employer andexamines current employer branding measures, whereas the later not only investigates the company’s environment but also ascertains the needs and demands of the target groups towards an employer as well as their behavior during the employer choice process. The research results are then consolidated in the developed positioning concept and the corresponding measures which serve as an orientation guide for Mondi in order to become an employer choice in the long run.

This master thesis deals with the development of an international employerbranding concept for Generation Z as well as external communication measures inorder to increase the attractiveness of ARIAN among Austrians and Slovenes andto fulfil their personnel requirement regarding apprentices in the printing area.Furthermore, this thesis aims to make sure that ARIAN is known by relevant educational institutions in order to already reach Generation Z during their compulsory education.The first chapter concentrates on the topic international employer branding and starts with common definitions of employer branding, the interrelation of the corporate brand and employer brand as well as objectives of employer branding. Topics such as the different levels of attractiveness, challenges in international employer branding and generational differences provide a framework for the subsequent employer brand positioning concept. The basis for the employer branding positioning concept forms the analysis of the internal and external influencing factors, the employer brand identity, the objectives of the employer brand positioning and the requirement profile for the EVP. After the definition and selection of an EVP alternative, a suitable slogan can be defined, and the EVP can be implemented with external communication measures. The communication measures depend on the communication objectives and the respective targetgroup. Within the communication channels, different ways to reach Generation Zare presented. Furthermore, a distinction between the recurring measures of abasic programme and campaigns with a special focus is made. Moreover, the most important aspects of a communication plan as well as different methods for choosing a communication budget are described. Finally, the importance of EB controlling as well as suitable strategic and operative KPIs are shown.At the beginning of the practical part, an analysis of the initial situation as well as aquantitative market research with pupils in Austria and Slovenia was conducted in order to get representative knowledge about the expectations of Generation Z regarding their first employer. In consideration of the consequential implications,an employer brand positioning concept for ARIAN was developed and recommendations for the external communication as well as the EB controlling are given.

Saturated markets, especially in the food industry with a large number of competitorsand big players make it a highly competitive environment, particularly for start-ups. In order to be able to settle within the market and gain strength, it is necessary to have a unique selling proposition and competitive advantages to differentiate. Ingredient Branding offers this kind of advantage and is defined as the targeted marketing of aparticular component/ingredient of an end product. The aim of this thesis is to provide a guideline for the food start-up Spirulix to use ingredient branding to their advantage together with the already existing branding strategy. It should therefore identify success factors, possible risks, and general effects of the concept on the brand image. To answer the research questions qualitative research was carried out, interviewing food start-ups already using ingredient branding as a strategy. In total eleven interviews have been conducted with persons in charge of ingredient branding resulting in the position of either head of marketing, CEO, or founder. The research results revealed the following success factors: choice of partners, quality, competitive advantages, communication, and brand orientation. Furthermore, the risks for the ingredient brand described in the literature have been confirmed throughout the interviews, namely loss of control and negative spillover effects. Anyways, theinterviews could not prove the effects on the brand, as nearly no start-up made a market research or panel survey due to low budgets and a lack in personnel resources. In summary the literature research and the interviews point out the potential of ingredient branding for food start-ups and highlighted the positive impact it offers for start-ups in a highly competitive market.

The Austrian company B&R Industrial Automation GmbH, which is internationally doing business in the industrial goods sector, faces the problem that lead generation and qualification do not follow a strategically predefined process. In order to solve this challenge, an internationally integrated mar-keting communications concept for improving qualified lead generation was created within the framework of this master thesis. Firstly, an extensive literature review was conducted, focussing on gathering state-of-the-art information about the theme areas connected to that overall topic. Complementing the findings and insights from the current literature status quo, the implementation by comparable companies in reality was reviewed by conducting expert interviews in terms of the field research. With experienced employees from the marketing department in international industrial goods companies being the target group, insights indicated that integrated omnichannel communications and optimized lead management are considered to very different degrees in the sector. Ranging from best case companies to late developer firms, the sector is still rather conservative, which underlines the relevance of this topic for generating competitive advantages on the market. Based on the findings, the concept was then developed. Starting off with a secondary analysis of the marketing communications channels of B&R and three main competitors, improving the qualification of generated leads was defined as the main goal. With the target groups being clustered by subsector and position in the buying centre, campaigning as the central strategy for the channel deployment was selected. As research indicated the importance of trade fairs, the approach is putting these events in the centre of the campaign arrangement. By intensifying the usage of already existing channels as well as introducing new instruments and measures, all being aligned and coordinated through the integrated omnichannel approach, existing potential may be exploited profoundly. Against this backdrop, marketing automation builds the connection between communications and lead management. Additionally, a mixture of lead grading and scoring was planned in order to track the position of the generated leads in the funnel and highlight the perfect handover point. With KPIs being defined for each channel and measure specifically, comprehensive success monitoring was established. In the first phase, the concept focusses on the main fairs for B&R throughout the year due to the time horizon for adop-tion and set up of alterations, but after an amortisation phase, the concept may be implemented full-scale and for each international fair.

Appropriately addressing qualified graduates and young professionals of Generation Z and retaining them is a vital competitive advantage of personnel intensive organizations. Due to demographic change and the declining attractiveness of the financial sector, it is becoming increasingly difficult for financial institutions to attract these urgently needed young professionals. This thesis therefore addresses the composition of an employer branding concept for Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG. The concept focuses in particular on social media communication for Generation Z. The theory part discusses the generations, with a special focus on external employer branding communication for Generation Z. This is followed by a presentation of social media employer branding communication for Generation Z, and a discussion of the general fundamentals of an employer branding concept. Various arguments for a digitally based social media employer branding concept for Generation Z are outlined. In addition, Generation Z is specifically addressed as workforce in the banking sector. In the practical part, social media communication measures of Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG are analyzed. Moreover, a primary scientific study delivered valuable insights into the employer preferences, the perception, as well as the communication behavior of Generation Z. The findings from literature and the individual analyses have formed the basis for a unified communication concept. Besides concrete measures, the concept also contains recommendations for implementation and monitoring. Ultimately, the concept is intended to support Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG in presenting itself as an attractive employer for Generation Z on social media.