category finalist
dkamp@mower.com
Challenge
Skilled trade professionals are essential to the businesses Carhartt supports. Yet these industries face a widening labor gap that threatens long term stability. When hurricanes struck the Southeast in 2024, recovery efforts exposed just how understaffed these roles had become. Communities could not rebuild without them. Carhartt saw a responsibility to support both the workforce and the businesses that depend on it.
Insight
Purpose is one of the strongest drivers of career choice for the next generation. Yet skilled trades are often seen as jobs, not callings. In disaster recovery, their impact becomes undeniable. Every restored power line and every rebuilt home shows that these workers are not just part of the response. They are the recovery. This was an opportunity to reframe skilled trades as mission driven careers.
Strategy
Elevate the visibility and meaning of skilled trades through real stories that demonstrate their societal impact. Connect Carhartt’s brand purpose to a larger effort that supports workforce development while honoring the people doing the work. Execute this approach with a lean production model and a focused media strategy that prioritized authenticity, targeted reach and efficiency over large scale spend.
Idea
“The Next Responders”
First responders save lives. Next Responders rebuild them. The campaign centered on a documentary series filmed in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, a town heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene. More than a year later, crews were still restoring infrastructure. Their stories of resilience and purpose became the foundation of the campaign.
Activation
The campaign expanded across paid and organic social, YouTube, connected TV, email, trade media and a dedicated landing page featuring a growing library of episodes. Built on authentic documentary content, the campaign maximized impact by leveraging owned and earned channels alongside targeted paid media.
Talent and locations were sourced through Carhartt’s sales network, featuring real trade professionals in active recovery environments. This approach not only increased authenticity but significantly reduced production costs.
The campaign culminated in a partnership with Asheville’s ABC affiliate WLOS on the one year anniversary of Helene, bringing the campaign directly to the workers it celebrates.
Carhartt then invited Next Responders to its Global Sales Conference for a live Q&A. Their stories earned a standing ovation and reinforced the brand’s commitment to the trades. For business customers, it positioned Carhartt as a leader addressing a real workforce challenge. For the trades community, it delivered long overdue recognition. The latest episode, “First Steps,” extends that impact by inspiring the next generation to pursue these careers.
Results
The campaign delivered both cultural and measurable impact in its first months for a fraction of the investment typically required for a national brand campaign:
• 660K+ CTV views with a 99% completion rate
• 99% YouTube completion rate and thousands of new subscribers
• 53% engagement rate for trades inquiries
• Nearly 10% increase in traffic to Northwest Lineman College within one day of launch
• 135K LinkedIn video views with utilities as the top engaged industry
“The Next Responders” is now a multi year initiative, expanding to additional trades that support communities in times of crisis. By pairing authentic storytelling with a disciplined spend strategy, Carhartt delivered outsized impact, helping rebuild both perception and the workforce behind recovery itself.
