Anyone who’s been following the news in recent years won’t be surprised to hear that police departments all over the country are struggling to find quality applicants. Between political turmoil and the inherent dangers of the job, fewer and fewer people are signing up to become officers. The Denver Police Department approached AOR in need of a campaign that could change people’s sentiments about the job and galvanize them to apply.
The Denver Police Department conducted research to see which community members would be most likely to apply and to be the right fit for the job. Our campaign targeted individuals in the hospitality industry, security personnel, nurses, social workers, teachers, and coaches, among other groups. This was a diversion from the ‘traditional’ person who applied (usually someone who aimed to become an officer from a younger age and hadn’t had a previous career).
The choice to target non-traditional candidates for new police officers was great for two reasons. First, the traditional target audience had clearly dwindled to a smaller group than ever, forcing the Denver Police Department to expand its horizons. And second, speaking to a new, non-traditional group would help the department change its perception among the general public. Knowing they were hiring social workers and teachers gave people empathy for the department and encouraged those who might not otherwise have considered the career as an option to reexamine this vocation in a new light.
The campaign creative leveraged photos of current police officers, while listing ‘non-typical’ things that made them who they are, allowing our target audience to see themselves in their place. Characteristics like ‘single mom’ or ‘little league coach’ or even ‘former at-risk youth’ reinforced the connection to the new target audience, enabling them to see themselves as potential police officers.
The next step was to figure out how to reach our target audience in the right way. While municipal organizations often lean heavily on OOH placements, we decided to keep the media buy digital for this campaign so that the ads would reach our target and not those who would be negatively inclined toward the police, regardless of messaging. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google made up the buy.
The campaign ran for four months, targeting potential new officers across Denver and the surrounding area. We also allocated a small spend to target officers in nearby counties and states who might be interested in making the move to a larger city. The campaign creative resonated and delivered over 13 million impressions during its run.
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