Addressing Labour Shortage in Tourism

The pandemic hit Ontario’s tourism workforce hard. Recovery took years and employers faced rising vacancies. Plus, there’s a misconception about working in tourism: jobs are thought to be low-paying, uninteresting, and short-term.

The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) came to Alphabet® to help combat the province-wide labour shortage. And the outdated perceptions fuelling it. Together, we created a bold campaign to reframe tourism work as flexible, rewarding, and most importantly, fun.

Client

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario

Sector

Tourism

Services

Brand strategy / Campaign development / Design services / Video production

strategy

Reclaim the conversation

Our strategy was to guide the narrative around working in the industry. Rather than shy away from the stereotype, we challenged that working in tourism isn’t a cookie-cutter career—that work doesn’t suck. The campaign’s ‘big idea’ was built on three strategic pillars:

Redefine work-life balance

Show how an interesting job can lead to an interesting life.

Inspire career curiosity

Highlight the diverse lifestyles and growth paths available in tourism.

Create a sense of pride

Share the industry’s sense of community and connection.

creative execution

Real faces. Real opportunities.

To capture the authenticity and pride of tourism workers, we produced a series of videos with employees on the job. The videos were shot vertically for TikTok and Instagram and gave a first-person look at the unique opportunities available to job seekers.

real

The campaign spoke to a young audience in a way that was both honest and unexpected. It was casual, cheeky, and even a little rebellious.

Bold red poster with white text reading ‘Clock in, rock out’ over a crowd scene with raised hands.

Street-level billboard hoarding covered with bold text ads in red, orange, white, and black panels promoting WorkDoesntSuck.ca, with slogans like ‘Clock in, rock out,’ ‘Go ahead, relax on the job,’ and ‘Finally, a flexible career,’ while two blurred pedestrians walk past.

From creative concept and messaging to the look and feel, it was an in-your-face campaign to promote employment in Ontario’s tourism sector. It didn’t pretend. It embraced the realities of working in the industry and highlighted the rewards. It challenged misconceptions and reminded us all that work doesn’t suck.