JAAF launches novel campaign

The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) recently launched a novel campaign to address the challenges it has been facing to overcome negative perceptions about the industry, increase levels of recruitment and retention to meet the challenge of a growing international demand, combat demand pull from other employment opportunities, and achieve the national goal of becoming a US $ 5 billion industry by 2015.

The campaign, conceptualized and executed by Bates 141 and Strategic Alliance PR uses a grassroots roadshow which travels district-to-district, village-to-village, and door-to-door, creating awareness about job opportunities in the industry, educating potential employees and their families about the many benefits of working in this industry, while registering prospective employees through a novel post-card based job application.

The roadshow, manned by a team of promoters and HR personnel from the factories in the district, utilizes vans which are taken to the villages and rural areas.

For the first time, the campaign has involved members of the apparel workforce as educators, models and brand ambassadors as its promotional face, bringing greater involvement, credibility and effectiveness to the campaign.

The other objective of this initiative is staff retention and the reduction of churn. This is very much centered on recognition of its existing workforce. Together with four celebrity advocates, the campaign conducts visits to multiple factories in a district where the celebrities visit the work environment and talk to staff reaffirming the benefits, value and importance of the industry and thanking and encouraging workers for their efforts.