About the campaign

In 2021 the UK suffered from an acute shortage of LGV drivers, with many companies offering inflated salaries to attract truckers. Not as well-known as sister company DHL, DHL Parcel UK (DHLPUK) needed an innovative strategy to attract talent. It needed to raise the profile of the organisation, attract drivers who cared about more than salary and have a positive effect on driver attrition.

Interviews with drivers revealed that those who remained loyal valued a “great drive”, with predictable shifts, routes and trucks that worked. They were also active on social media during truck stops. The media strategy followed a three-stage recruitment funnel: bespoke animated adverts that connect with drivers; a campaign landing page where candidates could get more information; and conversion through short video ‘stings’ into applications. DHLPUK used geotargeting as well as other data to reach the right drivers through a multi-channel approach, including Facebook and TikTok, the latter famously with singing drivers.

The four-month campaign generated 2.25 million impressions, raising the profile of DHLPUK as a destination for career drivers across the entire country. A strong overall click-through rate (CTR) of 2.77% was achieved, reaching as high as 4.62% on Facebook. TikTok generated 174,474 views and 2,775 clicks. The retargeting adverts were the most successful, with a CTR of 7.8%. DHL Parcel UK also tracked a large reduction in driver attrition.