Employer branding is more serious than you think

Recently at a dinner with a group of senior HR leaders, it was surprising to see the conversations completely revolved around the value of employer branding. The zeal and fervor with which everyone discussed the ascendance and power of the concept was akin to the importance that has been accorded to likes of big data and culture in the recent past.
Now we all know what Employer Branding is all about; Google is full of articles, blogs and views and opinions from thought leaders to research agencies to publishing houses, all extoling the value and virtue of it. After all employer branding is not a spectator sports but a contact sport! What begs a question then is: Is it already a mega trend? Has work begun on it in holistic manner? Have companies redesigned their organizations to factor this as a full time role? Is it getting talked about in the board room? Let me share my points of view on these questions:
Is it a mega trend? Not so far, but soon will be. The onus lies on us as HR profes