First Advantage

Repositioning a Leading HR Tech Company to Win the Talent War for the Mobile Generation

Strategy & Design

Market Research

Messaging | Web UX

Project overview

Along the applicant journey and beyond, leading HR teams around the globe rely on First Advantage for screening, verifications, safety, and compliance.

A Force for Change

First Advantage, once a bellwether in the HR-tech space, was losing market share to smaller, more technology-forward competitors during a pivotal moment in their industry. As a result of the Great Resignation or employment reshuffle of 2021-2022, customers were looking for background screening technologies that would enable them to onboard employees faster.

Hire Smarter. Onboard Faster.

To capture this demand and win back market share, Direct Agents partnered with First Advantage to develop and execute a Go-To-Market campaign for their Profile Advantage technology. In our “Hire Smarter. Onboard Faster.” campaign, we developed a differentiated position in the market for First Advantage, establishing First Advantage’s technology advances to shareholders, and increased speed and ease of use to customers. We rolled out this messaging strategy across a new website, product videos, and marketing materials at their annual Collaborate summit, including keynote presentations, signage, and digital ads.

Bringing our strategy to Life

Following the launch of the Profile Advantage “Hire Smarter. Onboard Faster.” campaign at their annual conference in Las Vegas, First Advantage drove impressive business performance through the rest of the year. Their earnings beat Wall Street forecasts by 36% over the following two quarters, with stock price rising and sales growing 16% year-over-year.