Female recruitment drive campaign
Empowering women to take charge of their lives
Overview
Transporting Melburnians from A to B is an essential and empowering role. Yarra Tram drivers are required to take ownership, step into self-leadership and have ultimate accountability for the safety of their passengers. The role brings with it a sense of purpose and responsibility for the community by keeping Melbourne moving safely each day.
With ongoing labour force upheaval in Victoria following the pandemic, Yarra Trams was experiencing a shortfall of drivers. This campaign set out to recruit drivers throughout 2023 to overcome the shortfall, with a focus on females to increase representation in the role more broadly. This project leveraged the best of Icon’s creative capabilities, motivating women to reconsider their thoughts of pursuing a tram driver career and overcoming perceived disadvantages of the role.
Background
Research conducted by Yarra Trams, in partnership with Fiftyfive5, told us that as a person’s familiarity with Yarra Trams grows, so too does their positivity towards a potential career with them. Our communications needed to motivate women to reconsider their thoughts of pursuing a tram driver career, by increasing their understanding of the role and how it allows them to take charge of certain areas in their life, notably stress, income and career (job security, progression).
Challenge
As a person’s familiarity and consideration of a job with Yarra Trams grows, so too does their positivity towards a potential role. However, there are several perceived disadvantages of being a driver, including inconsistent shift work, safety, and not being able to work remotely.
Our challenge was to develop a communications campaign that overcame these perceived disadvantages and encourage those who have already considered a role to apply.
Solution
This campaign needed to motivate women to reconsider their thoughts of pursuing a tram driver career by increasing their understanding of the role and how it enables them to take charge of their role, their lifestyle and their earning potential.
The creative concept In charge of a tram, in charge of your life, encourages women to envision the possibilities that driving a tram can enable. The role answers the audience’s emotional needs, including a sense of belonging, along with plenty of rational benefits too, including a dynamic environment that allows you to leave work at work and a great salary that makes it possible to stay firmly in the driving seat of life.
The platform provided the flexibility to talk to a range of benefits of the role and leveraged the role of the driving seat as a metaphor for what the role can enable in a woman’s life.
Output
Icon developed all video outputs and collateral assets, which involved a production shoot located on a tram in the heart of Melbourne. Video, audio, and static assets were developed for a digital marketing campaign inclusive of display, YouTube, social media and audio programmatic, as well as for owned channels.
The campaign launched in March 2022 on International Women’s Day and can be viewed at: careers.yarratrams.com.au
Results
Yarra Trams received upwards of 1,000 applications during the 3-month campaign period, with 229 of those being female, a 21% increase compared to no campaign. The digital marketing activity harnessed strong results, with over 10,000 clicks to the website and an above-industry-average click-through rate for the social media campaign.
Services
Campaign visual identity
Video and imagery production
Graphic design
Asset delivery
Digital media campaign
PR extension recommendations
