Think construction isn’t for women? We built a campaign that diversified the workforce for Massachusetts Gaming Commission and helped women build better lives for themselves.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is charged with overseeing the largest private construction projects in the state’s history, with a goal of creating the most diverse workforce in state history. So in 2017, they joined forces with the Northeast Center for Tradeswomen’s Equity (NCTE) on an initiative to increase the percentage of women in the building trades from 5% to 20% by 2020.
KHJ was brought in to develop a marketing strategy and campaign to generate awareness, increase inquiries and help accomplish this ambitious goal.
“There are women all over the Commonwealth who can do this work, but no one’s told them it’s an option…”
Elizabeth Skidmore, Co-founder of the Policy Group on Tradeswomen’s Issues
We knew construction was not a top of mind career for most women. Yet many women work in other physically demanding jobs that offer less income, benefits, and work/life balance. If they only knew about the better pay, benefits and paid training of a career in construction and how it could positively impact their lives. From this train of thought we arrived at a compelling key message and creative platform: Build a Life That Works.
“In 2017, we set ambitious targets for the construction industry, and a campaign like ‘Build A Life That Works’ is a great way for the building trades to show they are committed to building a strong, more equitable city and state.”
– Martin Walsh, Mayor of Boston
Our campaign featured actual women in the building trades who now enjoy home ownership, more time with their families, world travel and other fulfilling life experiences made possible by their careers. We explained the career advantages and how women could “Build a Life That Works”.
“This is the best shot ever at actually being a lasting catalyst for the future of economic opportunity for women.”
-Stephen Crosby, Chairman of the Mass Gaming Commission
The campaign was rolled out through print and outdoor advertising, digital and social media strategies, grassroots events, and brochures for career centers and vocational schools. All campaign components drove prospects to an engaging website where they could learn more about the building trades, read stories about the lives of women in the industry, and connect with an NCTE representative to get started. Preliminary results show high engagement of 3 minutes and 40 seconds average time spent on the site, and 1.5x the average number of leads in the first month.
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