Guerilla marketing with a touch of civility

Sydney-based recruitment agency hires butler to deliver an invitation you can’t refuse

There’s being invited aboard a superyacht, and then there’s being personally invited via a real-life butler sporting a sharp suit and a cloche, turning up to your office to surprise you.?

Recruitment company Talent Butler hired James Charles, a trained butler and actor from London, to swan around Sydney recently delivering invitations to the company’s annual networking and client appreciation event aboard the GHOST 11 pre-Christmas.

Talent Butler’s founder Mathew Thompson spent two days driving the butler and Shakesperean actor around Sydney, delivering invitations and stopping for countless selfies with amused clients from across the retail property and construction sectors.

While conversation flowed in the car, when the job needed to be done, James didn’t break character. Polished butler’s cloche in hand, invitations were revealed one by one to many of the 60 clients.?

“We’d be chatting away and as soon as he got out to meet clients, he would be prim and proper, very English, and just like you would expect a butler to be,” Mr Thompson said.?

?“People were crowding around reception areas wondering what was going on, taking videos and really enjoying it. They absolutely loved it.”

The unusual strategy is reflective of the newcomer to the recruitment sector's innovative vision. Talent Butler launched its subscription for clients 18-months ago with a plan to vanquish the wasted cost and risk companies face of losing new employees immediately after the obligatory probation period, at which point the recruiter has been paid their lump sum for securing the staff member whether they work out or not.?

An alternative to the cumbersome and expensive traditional recruitment model, Talent Butler is quickly gaining traction, with companies from Sydney to Singapore signing up to its subscription model.?

“The idea behind Talent Butler is that there’s always someone right there at the door, seeing your talent in. It’s all about placing confidence. Making sure our clients aren’t left out on a limb after we have put talent into their business,” Mr Thompson said,?

?“We dare to be different and we’re not afraid to have a bit of fun along the way, while staying true to our brand.”?

?A butler’s work is never done; James and his cloche were back on deck at Talent Butler’s December 2 event, welcoming guests on to the 37 metre, custom built superyacht. The crowd favourite is now Talent Butler’s resident unofficial in-house butler and will be a familiar, polished presence for many events to come.?