Creating Inclusive Messaging and Marketing Material for a National Hiring Campaign
CanadianTourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) is one of 37 national sector councils whose overall goal is to improve the quality of the Canadian workforce and assist business verticals critical to the Canadian economy to be more flexible in meeting changing competitive demands.
Competing for qualified workers is a challenge for many sectors of the Canadian economy. There are many misconceptions held by people about certain industries, so to change behavior one must change perception. To address the perception issue, Clever Samurai worked with the president of the CTHRC, the marketing leadership team, industry stakeholders, and the board of directors to craft and execute a strategy that would cost-effectively deliver repetitive messages to various target markets. Our audiences included not only potential employees but also employers, some of whom are experiencing significant workforce challenges at present.
To respond to the market research and go-to-market strategy, we developed an overarching brand theme of ‘Discover Tourism’ to represent the essence of the tourism lifestyle. Imagery reflected various demographics of workers in lifestyle scenarios, with the brand representing a call to action to learn more about the industry and the employers within it. The aim was for career seekers to self-identify with the images and language being showcased and then engage with the brand and its employers to learn more.
We successfully introduced a new brand strategy to the market to fill a market void left by an industry that has shared challenges and lacks a cohesive approach due to the competitive nature of the market. Prior to Discover Tourism, there was no pan-Canadian strategy that linked potential workers with the industry and rewarded best-in-class employers with the preferred employer status.
Our promotional efforts have built web traffic to Discover Tourism and related e-marketing databases into the thousands, across varied demographics. Previously non-existent, the database is now regularly promoting available jobs, industry information, etc. to potential career seekers. Career fairs and other outreach efforts have brand consistency and a focused lifestyle message to attract workers. CTHRC’s status in the industry was raised to that of a thought leader and expert relationship builder.
