Audiences are connecting with a campaign to encourage young people into careers in manufacturing, early results indicate
Two months in, the response to an advertising campaign designed to attract a new generation to Australia’s manufacturing sector is showing encouraging results.
Rolled out across Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, the three-month Make It ManuFACTuring campaign uses television, radio, digital and social media and outdoor advertising to challenge outdated stereotypes and highlight real career opportunities in manufacturing.
Since its launch in early September, the campaign’s digital ads have reached over 9 million people, with 72,000 visits to the campaign’s dedicated website, makeitmanufacturing.com.au.
Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance chief executive Sharon Robertson says the Alliance is “thrilled” with the results so far.
“The campaign is running across eleven platforms, from Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube to LinkedIn, Spotify and digital billboards, reaching young people, parents and teachers where they are,” she says.
“Three out of four people who start our profiling quiz finish it; proof young Australians are actually connecting with the message.”
Robertson adds that the campaign’s radio stories ran three times longer than the industry standard, saying so far, they have reached more than 600,000 people across three states.
“We’re very pleased with these early results and look forward to seeing the full impact of the Make it ManuFACTuring campaign when this phase concludes in early December,” she says.
The campaign aims to address skills shortages by changing perceptions and inspiring young Australians – along with their parents and educators – to see manufacturing as a high-tech and secure career pathway.
While demand for digital and technical skills is rising rapidly, the Alliance’s 2024 Manufacturing Workforce Plan revealed a critical challenge: too few new entrants are choosing pathways into the sector, due in large part to outdated misconceptions about the nature of the work.
“We’ve been delighted by the positive feedback from across the manufacturing sector. Industry leaders are telling us this campaign is exactly what’s needed to inspire the next generation,” Robertson says.
“Over 30 industry organisations have already asked how they can be involved; the momentum is real and growing.”
Stakeholders are encouraged to support the campaign by sharing content from the Make It ManuFACTuring social channels, or by promoting it through newsletters, websites and other communications. A kit of digital assets is available by contacting marketing@manufacturingalliance.org.au.