McKinsey & Company is a top management consultancy firm with clients in leading enterprises from all different fields. They offer university graduates interesting first job opportunities after completion of their studies.

The task was to communicate efficiently with the graduates to find a suitable selection of job candidates. Naturally, not all the university graduates are suitable for a job at McKinsey & Company. Only the most ambitious young people should be reached.

There are very restricted possibilities for advertising at Swiss Universities. We looked for an unusual way to communicate, that would reach as many as possible. We found the solution in a pencil with an overly long rubber attached to it. Inscribed on the pencil was : 'We’re looking for students who aren’t satisfied with just any solution. www.mckinsey.ch'. 3000 of these pencils were produced and distributed at universities throughout Switzerland.

The pencil became a much fancied item amongst the students. The pencil transported the message of McKinsey & Company to advertisment-free zones such as libraries, auditoriums and canteens. The result was a higher number of pageviews on www.mckinsey.ch than usual. The most important aspect was a higher quality of applicants than on previous occasions. Only the really ambitious ones applied, which made the whole selection process much more efficient.