NCRLA

In the immediate post-COVID-19 world, many people were understandably worried about going back to work, especially in the service industries. The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) came to Pace hoping to combat the negative perceptions of the hospitality industry, attract viable talent and drive new candidates to apply for open positions. Pace approached these goals through empowering stories that highlight the value that hospitality can bring to individual workers. The resulting Serving Careers campaign instilled a sense of confidence around hospitality jobs, whether short or long term, that would meet the needs of potential candidates.

The Challenge

North Carolina’s expansive tourism industry relies on more than half a million workers in food service, hospitality and related fields, but business owners have struggled since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to attract and keep strong and viable talent for many of these positions. People were hesitant to work in person and unable to see the value in this industry. NCRLA turned to Pace to bridge a 10% gap between open positions and consumer demand.

The Solution

Pace identified five core audiences from both the employer and employee side: hiring managers, small-business owners, entry-level employees with no industry experience, mid-level workers with previous industry experience and mid-level workers new to the industry.  

As we uncovered these audience personas and mapped out their unique journeys, we were able to identify behaviors, emotions, challenges and key channels to consider, such as social media, television and influencer programs that these segments care about. 

Our audience findings then guided us in our approach to showing what the industry really offers—through the stories of real-world workers in North Carolina. These personal stories take center stage on the candidate-first website that became the linchpin of this campaign. Through audience research, UX design, content strategy and creation, and web development, ServingCareers.com was built with the job seeker in mind. The interactive, content-driven website connects job seekers to hospitality job listings on indeed.com, tailored to the candidate’s location and interests. 

Our campaign also included a statewide and hyperlocal public relations strategy and a comprehensive media program spanning OOH, radio, social media, banner ads, job boards and streaming TV.

• ServiceS USED
• Strategy
• Creative
• UX & WEB DEVELOPMENT