Getting the strategy right for this campaign was crucial. Teachers were leaving the profession in their droves because the working conditions are tough and previous campaigns had attracted the wrong type of people. The campaign had to be believable. It must not mislead potential applicants nor annoy working teachers by misrepresenting the challenges of the job. Its purpose was to recruit the right types, but it also had to try to prevent other teachers from leaving by making them feel good about the job they do.

An irrefutable truth was needed, one that would resonate with both groups. I arrived at the thought that being a teacher is, ‘The most important work you’ll ever do’.  It beat the 15 other agencies pitching to win the account and went some way to putting the teaching profession back on a pedestal alongside nurses and fire fighters, where it belongs.