In my youth, Carlsberg was an aspirational brand - 'probably the best beer in the world'; an iconic lager which traded on its Danish roots. 

However aggressive discounting, marketing which featured too much 'laddish humour', changing consumer tastes together with the rise to premium lagers/craft beer has seen Carlsberg sales - and brand perception plummet. 

So what's the lesson for employers? Employer brands are - simply put - a reflection of your reputation as an employer and this doesn't stand still. 

So whilst your over-arching EVP will need to be nuanced to appeal to individual talent groups in the form of a Talent Value Proposition, the employer brand needs to be constantly tracked and evaluated. And if you haven't formally reviewed your employer proposition and the competitive landscape for more than two years, it's probably very overdue. 

So back to beer - a favourite topic of mine - and what can we learn from Carlsberg. They've reviewed all aspects of the brand and the territory they want to 'own' in the marketplace - ingredients, packaging, pricing and marketing to totally revitalise it. And their launch marketing is shocking honest and authentic and leads with the admission they're not in a good place. 

Must be a lesson in there for employers. Cheers.