Thu 27th May 2021 - Exclusive – sector leaders urged to join industry-championing recruitment campaign Exclusive – sector leaders urged to join industry-championing recruitment campaign: BrewDog chief operating officer David McDowall has teamed up with sector marketing consultant Mark McCulloch of Supersonic, to launch a new recruitment campaign, which they hope will help to change external misconceptions about what a career in hospitality looks like. The pair are calling on sector operators to join them to launch a “coalition of willing and progressive hospitality operators to promote, champion, socialise and co-create the biggest, most effective and impactful recruitment campaign the UK (and beyond) has ever seen”. McDowall said: “Hospitality has always been seen as a poor choice when it comes to your career. There are huge external misconceptions about what a career in hospitality looks like and what it can do for you. These external misconceptions are replayed and reaffirmed daily through teachers, parents, friends, family, the media and the general public, setting false perceptions in the minds of the people we would love to attract to work in our industry (even before we have had a chance to get them to consider hospitality as an option). We must also tackle the internal issues in our sector relating to what hospitality operators offer prospective employees. We need to highlight and celebrate those who have progressive working practices, pay a fair wage, create great career opportunities for their teams, and set a clear example of what good looks like to encourage others in the sector to do the same.” The pair said the campaign, which they hope will go live by the fourth quarter of 2021, will aim to get people’s attention, “gain their interest, drive desire and create action in the form of applications into the market from first jobbers, from those who have left hospitality and from people who would be open to leaving their current role in another industry for something new, exciting and fulfilling”. McDowall said: “Longer term, we will use this as a platform to help change the perception of working in hospitality forever. We will achieve this by staying consistent in our messaging and by targeting the right people with the right message over time, asking ourselves through our communications how we want that specific audience to think, act and feel. By all of us pulling our brains and funds together, we will be able to make this much-needed change and all benefit from this in the long run.” McDowall said they are looking for “champions” from the sector for the campaign, and calling on businesses and sector investors to contribute funds to a central campaign pot. McDowall said: “We would ask you to contribute some of your recruitment budget to this central pot too. This collective fund will be used to pay for the best creative agencies, media planners, digital assets/performance, website and for the cost of advertising. To make this happen, we will be asking operators from all across the hospitality industry to contribute what they can afford towards the cause.” Propel understands BrewDog has already agreed to back the new campaign.