Challenge
Adecco is one of the world’s largest talent businesses, placing over a million people into work every year. Yet despite its scale and reach, it was struggling to stand apart in an increasingly commoditized recruitment market.
Managing a global brand at this scale is a complex task, especially in a category where the local touch is so important. Over time, the brand had become fragmented and diluted, making it harder to tell a consistent story and communicate what truly sets Adecco apart.
Inside, the reality was different. Adecco’s people are deeply embedded in their communities, building long-term relationships with employers and championing opportunity for candidates from every background.
There is real heart, warmth and passion in the business. But the brand didn’t show it.
So we asked a simple question: if recruitment is about connecting people to opportunity, why did the brand feel so standardized and cold?
The idea
Get back to reality.
Adecco is deeply passionate about work and the people that make it happen. Our task was to capture that authenticity and close the gap between business and brand.
The result is a simple, powerful idea: Real Work. Real People.
It reflects the relationships, connections and understanding that define the world of work. It also speaks to the two audiences Adecco serves every day: candidates looking for real opportunities, and employers looking for real talent.
At the same time, the idea addresses the evolving role of automation in the industry. It can help make recruitment faster and more accessible, but only if the connections between people remain at its core.
To bring the idea to life consistently across markets, we defined a clear brand personality rooted in three simple principles: Confidence. Honesty. Warmth.
- Confidence positions Adecco as a global leader and trusted expert in a changing world of work.
- Honesty reflects the reality of work, celebrating the opportunities while acknowledging its challenges.
- Warmth brings the human connection at the heart of recruitment to the forefront.
Together, these principles act as a lens for the entire brand, shaping how Adecco looks, speaks and behaves across every touchpoint.
The result is a brand idea that works as powerfully in local communities as it does on the global stage.
This evolution brings us closer to who we are as a business. At our core, we are about connecting people to opportunity through real relationships. ‘Real Work. Real People.’ captures that simply and powerfully, and gives us a brand that reflects both our global scale and our human approach.
Fabiana Montagna Anauate SVP Global Marketing
Insight-led, globally tested
To ensure the idea resonated globally, the work was validated with candidates and clients across key markets. Through three rounds of testing, we spoke with over 700 candidates, 180 employees, and key clients to ensure the brand reflected the real Adecco and resonated across cultures, industries, and audiences.
Our role
Adecco had built decades of equity, so our role was to evolve the brand, not replace it.
The task was to sharpen and unify it, restoring its authenticity and humanity. To signal change without losing recognition.
We helped differentiate Adecco by:
- Creating a verbal and visual identity system that is consistent globally, while flexible enough to stay relevant locally.
- Defining a clear global positioning rooted in “Real Work. Real People”.
- Turning a fragmented system into one coherent global promise.
- Translating the strategy across every touchpoint, from physical to digital.
In a category accelerating toward automation, Adecco’s strength and differentiator is that it puts people first.
And the evolved brand now clearly shows that this has always been at the heart of the business.
Before
After
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