We've never had anything handed to us on a plate

Strategy

Three key insights informed the strategy:

1. Disadvantaged youngsters achieve 17% higher performance at work versus their privileged peers, are better team players, more resilient, adaptable, and have higher Emotional Intelligence.

2. Despite facing a nationwide skills shortage, businesses unintentionally exclude disadvantaged demographics by relying on traditional recruitment channels and approaches that disadvantaged young people struggle to engage with.

3. Interviewers inadvertently tend to favour candidates with similar backgrounds: employers consider the way someone speaks, where someone is from, their class, the school or university they attended and where they currently live.

These insights formed the springboard for the strategy: to trigger a fear of missing out on this untapped talent pool by challenging stereotypes and showcasing their unique business skills.

Creativity

Young people from low-income households are often stigmatised as disruptive, lazy and unambitious. The team created a film to confront and shatter these stereotypes - turning free school meals from a derogatory label into a badge of honour.

Told by a schoolboy from a free-school meal background, the story revealed how children like him live anything but easy lives; juggling caring responsibilities, part-time jobs and contending with tough home conditions. But they're undefeated. They persevere, adapt and rise to every challenge. They are the ‘Hard-working Class’. Using a raw, intimate style reminiscent of home videos, the film avoids pity, instead celebrating their resilience and potential.

The message was powerful: businesses are missing out on this talent pool. But, thanks to the EY Foundation, they don’t have to. Together, they can help create a more diverse workplace - and rewrite stereotypes.

Results

On a restricted charity media budget, the campaign delivered a 32% increase in businesses recruited, a game-changing partnership with the UK Government’s Social Mobility Commission, and more young people helped than ever before.

Engagements were 15x benchmark, likes 14x above benchmark, shares 25x above benchmark, views 19x above benchmark. The campaign was named System 1’s Ad of the Week, outperforming the charity sector. PR coverage was achieved in Campaign, Marketing Beat, Shots, Little Black Book and Creative Salon.

Stephen Timms MP for Equalities, Disability and Social Security shared the campaign on X, further amplifying reach and credibility.

Contributors

Hogarth Worldwide, The Sweetshop Films, GPS, TenThree and WPP Media