LinkedIn, the slick global professional network, has chosen the gritty maritime town of Grimsby for a new campaign.
The Silicon Valley platform has a staggering 610 million members, and has brought forward two case studies from the town to screen at cinemas nationwide.
It showcases how connections it helps foster can transform lives and livelihoods.
Picked because of the wider transformation underway, with the government's pilot Greater Grimsby Town Deal highlighted, the campaign is removed from the office environment the network is associated with, and follows a fisherman’s foray into new markets and a young woman’s first steps towards a caring career.
Called Grimsby United, the vision is to “explore how the power of community can help people access new jobs and careers in an area that has experienced tough economic challenges”.
It is also the first time LinkedIn has expanded marketing to cinemas, with the two-minute ads to appear on 500 big screens nationwide, 75 per cent of those.
Ngaire Moyes, senior director of brand marketing and corporate communications at LinkedIn, said: “We believe every member of the workforce can create opportunities for themselves, and on LinkedIn, we have a passionate community of members who are connecting with and helping each other do just that. Our work in Grimsby is putting this theory to the test, and these films follow the journey of two of our newest 海角视频 members, Darren and Chelsey as they seek new jobs and opportunities.”
Darren Kenyon, director of Fastline Shellfish, is seen , while cafe worker Chelsey , but is short of confidence having been a victim of bullying. The short films follow the transformations.
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Giving an insight into the location, Ngaire said: “Like similar towns across the country, it has suffered economically in recent times and is looking to embrace new thinking to open up future employment opportunities for local people.
“In the past few months, we’ve had inspiring conversations with jobseekers, educators, local politicians and the business community. They’ve helped us to better understand what the future of work might look like in a town where, too often, young people currently move away to build their careers and settle down.
“It’s clear that optimism abounds and ambitious plans are taking shape. Last year the Government signed the Greater Grimsby Town Deal. Worth £67 million, it is expected to create 8,800 new jobs and nearly 10,000 new homes, bolstering the local economy by £218 million a year to help Grimsby become a prosperous place to work for generations to come.
“By helping people connect to the economic opportunities which will come as the town evolves, LinkedIn has a role to play.”
The campaign will be underpinned by a workshop event in the town, with details to follow.
Fastline to China - and the key connections
Embracing online networking is helping gear up Fastline Shellfish as it looks to move one of the last remaining fishing businesses to the next level.
A new vessel is on order for the family firm, an employer of 18 on Grimsby’s North Wall. It will allow for longer trips and - in turn - certainty of supply for customers, as it seeks to make inroads into the high value Chinese market.
Darren Kenyon, director, catches lobsters, crabs and whelks for restaurants, wholesale and retail markets – including for the town’s large van fleet to take on the road. He said: “It has been good, an experience doing it, and we have got to meet a few different people who can be helpful in the future. We haven’t done anything in China yet, it is a slow process, but we will be interested next year.
“We have picked up a few more restaurant orders through this, which has helped. When we get the new vessel here for Christmas, that when we can catch a lot of produce, spend more time at sea with two-day trips, and guarantee supply for our customers.”
It has been a personal eye-opener too for Mr Kenyon, who has had a laugh with friends who have already seen him sharing the silver screen with Hollywood’s finest.
“I’m not very good with technology, I’ve been at sea all my life and never used computers. Now, via video, we’ve been talking to a couple of people who can really help when it comes to payments and flights, moving product,” he said. “We’re down to a skeleton industry now, and it can be frightening on your own wondering if you’ll get paid, but these people deal with other markets year in, year out.”
Mr Kenyon has brought son-in-law Dean Cox into the business over the past two years to help with the administration, with a five-strong crew and the remainder in the factory shop.
LinkedIn’s head of brand, Darain Faraz, said: “People have been surprised by the videos. There is a certain type of person people expect to be reflected, but it is not representative of the brilliant and varied British population. We have taken that to the extreme in some respects. It is a really powerful piece of content that really goes to the heart of our values.”