Sell The Jobless

Background

Belgium's Association of Communication Companies, representing all Belgian advertising agencies, noticed the country was suffering from a growing shortage of good copywriting talent. They wanted to attract writers from whatever else they were doing and into advertising.

Idea

Instead of asking potential copywriters to write ads for cars, phones, or deodorant, the idea was to invite copywriters to write a letter for one of 13 unemployed people that would land him or her a job.

If the unemployed person got an interview, the writer got a job too. As a copywriter.

The writers of the best letters were invited to meet a group of Belgium's top creative directors at the National Copywriting Masterclass, where it was revealed that four of the 13 jobless people had been hired.

On the one hand the campaign helped fill the talent gap in advertising, on the other it gave unemployed people a chance to get a job. It demonstrated that words really can make a difference.

Results

In total the website received 668 cover letters from 490 unique candidates. 40 of them were selected for the final Masterclass, where they worked with 12 renowned creative directors. Four out of the 40 were offered jobs in advertising agencies. At the same time, four unemployed people got interviews and found work.

Our Thoughts

The worst thing about being a copywriter (and I speak as one of the tribe) is that every other bugger in the room thinks they can write. So they feel they have every right to mangle your copy or even dispense with your services altogether.

The truth is, copywriters aren’t hired for their ability to use a rhyming dictionary but for their ability to think.

Writing a job application is a searching test of this. You need to be able to frame an argument your reader will

find interesting. You need to be able to capture attention in the first two seconds of engagement and then sustain it all the way down to the call to action at the end.

I love everything about this. The fact it was a test of writing skill rather than of a more generalised creativity; that it led to four jobs for four unemployed people; that four writers have been recruited, who will also be able to write for TV, online and social media every bit as convincingly as they can in mail.