The Zombie Campaign, bringing dormant talent records back to life

The challenge

The firm's talent database was full of inactive candidates who hadn't been contacted in two years or longer. Their resumes were out of date, their skills and availability were unknown, and recruiters had little reason to trust those records. The marketing team loved the large numbers, but in reality, the database was full of "zombie" profiles that looked alive on paper, but couldn't produce a placement.

The approach

Kady built the "Zombie Campaign" to wake those records up.

• A focused segment: we targeted every candidate who hadn't been contacted in two years or more

• An email re-engagement campaign: we ran an email campaign that invited dormant talent to reconnect and send an updated resume

• A memorable theme: the zombie concept gave the campaign personality and made it stand out from routine recruiter emails

• A clear ask: every email pointed candidates to one action, sharing their current resume

The results

• 6% of the talent database updated with fresh resumes and candidate information

• Dormant records turned back into usable talent recruiters could search and submit

• New candidate data without new sourcing costs, drawn from people the firm had already paid to attract

Why it matters

Most databases hold years of candidates or contacts who have gone quiet. Re-engaging them is one of the fastest, cheapest ways to grow a usable talent or lead pool, because you already have the relationship. You just have to bring it back to life.

Is your database full of zombies? Let's wake them up.