Virginia Department of Education

Rethinking teacher recruitment in a time of shortage

With nationwide teacher shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, the Virginia Department of Education needed a new approach to recruiting. Instead of casting a wide net, our creative strategy focused on a very specific kind of candidate—those who find joy in working with children and see teaching as a calling, not just a job. The campaign elevated teaching to the level of a profession, giving prospective teachers a window into both the classroom experience and the lives they could impact, inspiring them to picture themselves in the role. The work was honored by the Anthem Awards, recognizing both its creative impact and its effectiveness in addressing a critical challenge.

The big idea

Landing page

The website takes what might be a daunting experience and makes it approachable by providing a step-by-step journey to become certified and apply. To drive candidates to the website, we launched a robust social paid program across Tik Tok, Meta, and LinkedIn in addition to running search and display ads.

Social media