The challenge

Arrow Uniforms had scale, credibility and purpose – but the market didn’t fully see it. As one of New Zealand’s largest uniform providers, Arrow supports more than 220,000 people across healthcare, aged care and essential services. Yet outside procurement and operational circles, the business was often perceived as simply a “uniform supplier” rather than a people-first organisation contributing to frontline care outcomes.

More broadly, Arrow was looking to strengthen how it attracted talent beyond traditional channels. While there was interest in opportunities, visibility among the right candidates – particularly those not actively job hunting – was limited, and high application volumes created challenges in identifying the most relevant transferable skills.

The challenge was to reposition Arrow as a modern New Zealand company with ambition, scale and heart – built around care, empathy, listening and being a trusted partner. We needed to create a story that felt authentically Kiwi, emotionally grounded and genuinely human.

The insight

Arrow needed to connect with an audience that didn’t naturally identify with the uniform industry. This group consisted of experienced operators from healthcare-related fields skilled in relationships problem-solving and working in frontline environments. We also recognised that identifying transferable skills required a clearer, more human articulation of what success at Arrow looked like beyond job titles or industry backgrounds. 

Arrow’s opportunity was to reframe both the organisation and its roles around purpose: “Your relationship skills directly impact the comfort and confidence of those who care for others every day.”

The strategy

Rather than crafting a corporate recruitment video, we developed a human-centred brand story. Our creative approach prioritised real people over polished corporate messaging, small moments of care over product features, and warmth, craft and purpose over sheer scale. We showcased the people behind the uniforms.

This story positioned Arrow as a New Zealand family-founded business driven by care and practicality. It highlighted a workplace with a strong culture and autonomy and a growing organisation with ambitious goals. Importantly, the film also needed to serve as a reusable employer brand platform, allowing future role campaigns to fit seamlessly within the same narrative framework.

The outcome

The campaign repositioned Arrow Uniforms from a behind-the-scenes supplier to a purpose-led organisation supporting some of New Zealand’s most important frontline workers.

Grounding the story in humanity, care and contribution helped elevate employer brand perception and provided a stronger foundation for attracting and engaging talent. The core brand video is an enduring asset that can be used across future recruitment activity. Alongside this, a targeted sourcing approach complemented the storytelling – helping to reach relevant candidates who may not have otherwise engaged through traditional channels alone. This reinforced the importance of combining strong brand narrative with proactive talent identification.

The result is not just a campaign, but a scalable recruitment platform – equipping Arrow with the tools, story and approach to connect with future talent in a more meaningful and effective way.