Regent’s welcomed Tom Pattison, Employer Branding Strategy Lead at TikTok, as the latest guest in our Distinguished Speaker Series. Introduced by Marco Mongiello, Head of the School of Business. Tom shared an insightful look into the fast-evolving world of employer branding, drawing on his career journey from agency life at Wiser to leading strategy at one of the world’s most influential digital platforms.
Tom opened by inviting the audience to define ‘employer branding’, a term which is often misunderstood but increasingly vital. At its core, he explained; employer branding encompasses the experiences and perceptions of employees (past, present, and future) throughout the full lifecycle of work. It answers the fundamental question: ‘Why should someone want to work for your organisation over anywhere else?’ When done well, it becomes part of a company’s broader brand story and identity, shaping culture, recruitment, and reputation.
He broke down the structured process behind developing an employer brand - from speaking to employees across the organisation, identifying recurring themes, and analysing competitors, to building an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and testing it with the public. Crucially, the brand must be lived and reinforced internally: ‘If the organisation doesn’t buy into it, it can be more damaging than helpful’, Tom noted. Like any brand discipline, it involves constant iteration and evolution, not complete reinvention.
Tom showcased standout examples of employer brands, including Spotify’s ‘Join the Band’, Google’s ‘Build for Everyone’, and Hilton’s storytelling around career journeys. These all demonstrate the shift toward authenticity and humanity in employer branding - something he sees accelerating: ‘The walls between employer brand and consumer brand are collapsing at a rapid pace’. With organisational restructuring now regularly in the public eye, consumer perceptions increasingly influence employer reputation and vice versa.
Drawing from his own experience, Tom compared working in an agency against in-house employer branding. He noted that agencies offer fast-paced variety and exposure to many brands, while in-house roles allow deeper cultural insight and long-term impact - though they can require greater self-motivation to stay inspired.
Tom then offered a behind-the-scenes look at TikTok’s mission to ‘inspire creativity and bring joy’, highlighting how workplace content has flourished on the platform (#worklife has over 30.6 billion views). He shared how #lifeattiktok showcases employee experiences through relatable, trend-driven content - from book recommendations to day-in-the-life videos, helping audiences see the human side of TikTok’s culture.
He closed by offered practical advice for aspiring marketers: develop a platform-specific content strategy, keep content fresh but not over-produced, and empower employee advocates - as ‘candidates are three times more likely to trust a company’s employees than the company itself’. He also encouraged students not to shy away from tools like TikTok, reminding them that modern employer branding requires both macro storytelling and micro-targeted approaches.
Tom emphasised that analytical thinking, storytelling, and curiosity, skills gained from any degree, remain the strongest foundations for a career in this growing field.