ASCP Recruitment Campaign

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Kindle Communications LLC
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  • Date Published
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ASCP recruitment campaign for NEXTPO 2015 with branding and web design for the event

Addressing the challenge of an industry talent shortage by challenging recruitment conventions.

Gather 

Business Insight:

The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is the world’s largest professional membership organization for pathologists and laboratory professionals. Its mission is to provide excellence in education, certification and advocacy on behalf of patients, pathologists and laboratory professionals across the globe.

Having such a pulse on the industry, ASCP began to see a pattern of lab technician vacancies and future talent shortfalls across the country. Knowing the work these committed men and women do every day is essential to a healthy public, ASCP partnered with Kindle to address the challenge head-on.

Communication Opportunity:

ASCP had built connections to many technical schools as well as a strong reputation in math and science programs by supporting STEM initiatives. It was important to leverage these opportunities as a point of access for recruiting qualified students that would soon be eligible lab candidates while, at the same time, gather support from ASCP members and strategic partners to fund the effort.

Audience Profile:

High school students, guidance counselors, science teachers, all ASCP members and strategic partners

Spark

Approach:

Many high school students approaching graduation are asking themselves a lot of questions – trying to identify and understand their next step in life. To address this mindset and communicate the viability of a career in laboratory medicine, we aimed to create a multifaceted campaign that touched every related stakeholder and empowered ambitious students to “find their next”.

Recommendations:

  • Tap into the minds of high school students by presenting questions in first-person, like “what’s my next?”
  • Capture the attention of students with a campaign featuring bold color, provocative headlines and images depicting the benefits of a career in laboratory medicine that go beyond the lab.
  • Create a virtual hub for students, teachers and guidance counselors to visit for helpful resources and a way to interact.
  • Show actual young lab professionals in action and tell their relatable stories.
  • Demonstrate the power of laboratory medicine using an interactive, gamified and responsive approach to learning modules.
  • Connect ASCP members and strategic partners with qualified students at a live touchpoint to create a sense of real-world impact and possibilities.

Ignite

Activation:

Phase One development included extensive interviews with pathologists and laboratory professionals as well as visits to innovative medical centers where the lab is in full force. Armed with medical writers and our team of learning experts, we set out to develop guided classroom activities, online Lab Hero learning modules and quizzes as well as quick-start conversation guides for counselors.

At the same time, it involved creating captivating presentations to get key members and strategic partners on board as we looked ahead to even bigger opportunities.

In Phase Two we developed and deployed a system of eye-catching collateral for distribution to high schools across the country. A responsive website backed the campaign – providing students with next steps and teachers and counselors with promotional/educational materials.

Phase Three saw all of the campaign components and constituencies come together at the ASCP Annual Meeting in Tampa. Here, we introduced the NEXTPO as a way to market specifically to the students in attendance and create content that was relevant to them. Members were able to interact with the students and see firsthand the commitment made by ASCP to address the industry’s most pressing challenges.

Results:

  • The “What’s My Next” Campaign continues to be at the center of ASCP’s recruitment and outreach efforts targeting high school students.
  • Initial funding was supplemented by a strategic partnership with Roche after leaders were introduced to the comprehensive plan for the campaign.
  • Visit (URL) to see the campaign in action, including the interactive Lab Hero learning modules.