Go Build Alabama – The Big Ask:
How can we grow the pool of skilled workers in Alabama?
The Big Challenge:
Meeting industry demand for a highly skilled workforce was a national crisis. In 2010, the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute needed to address the skills gap and change perceptions about careers in skilled trades among students, parents, and educators.
The Big Insight:
Traditional educational approaches weren't connecting with millennials who sought purpose and belonging. Rather than simply educate about careers, we needed to inspire young people with a powerful rallying cry: Go Build.
How we went Big:
We developed an innovative mass-marketing strategy that addressed the skills gap through targeted education and image enhancement, amplified through grassroots events. Launching Labor Day 2010, our campaign featured skilled labor champion Mike Rowe as spokesperson. His authenticity and credibility brought star power to our cause. We created the identity of the "Future Skilled Workers of America," featuring diverse young men and women representing the next generation of skilled labor.
How we went bigger:
Our media strategy targeted high-impact moments like the Iron Bowl and included exclusive print sponsorships reaching millions of adults.
The Go Build website became an interactive portal with game-like visuals appealing to digital natives, featuring occupation information and trade videos that connected users directly to training providers and scholarship opportunities.
The Big Results:
28k+
Television Commercials Aired
87%
Student Awareness of Campaign
33%
CTE Students Directly Influenced
1.2M+
Facebook Reach in 2016 Alone