KLM Ground Services - Meet the Koffers
In recruitment campaign ‘Meet de Koffers’, suitcases come to life and tell us in person what really goes on behind the scenes of KLM’s Ground Services department.
In the summer of ‘22, not all runs smoothly at Schiphol. The airport is drowning in suitcases that didn’t make their flight in time and the trade union is starting a case against Schiphol on behalf of a collective of baggage handlers. Complaints? Bad working conditions, low salaries and little growth opportunities. Even though Schiphol is a separate company, this negative attention also reflects on KLM, who is now struggling with a serious shortage of baggage handlers. Our challenge: in this context, get 400 people excited to join KLM Ground Services.
Concept: Meet the Koffers
Luckily, the job of a baggage handler at KLM has many advantages over other physical jobs: a unique position at an organization with good CAO and terms of employment, a pleasant working atmosphere and the opportunity to grow. Yet, how could we bring this part of the story to light?
An honest story was needed, presented in a believable way. While we got to know KLM Ground Services more and more we found a striking similarity between how well the staff was treated and how well the staff treated the luggage. Just like the suitcases, the staff was handled with care. This insight gave us the idea to enlist the help of the real experience experts. A group that, like no other, knows what goes on behind the scenes at KLM Ground Services. So who are these experts? Believe it or not, it were the suitcases
From suitcase to storyteller
In an interview setting - that reminds you of shows as The Office and Modern Family - the suitcases speak about their journey and the indispensable role of the baggage handlers. And like that, campaign 'Meet the Koffers’ was born. Fear of flying, mile-high experiences, nervousness before departure: everything comes up. The suitcases provide a unique insight into both the work behind the scenes and the healthy balance between effort and relaxation that KLM offers its employees.
With the suitcases being the star players of our campaign, our main challenge was to transform these inanimate objects to actual characters that had relatable experiences and emotions, just like you and me. They would have the important job of telling the true story of KLM Ground Services: about how well the staff is treated, and how well the staff is treating them. A story that would bring a smile to anyone’s face. With the help of a professional puppeteer, the suitcases were cut up and transformed to puppets with actual features and facial expressions.
Be happy like our suitcases
In the eventual campaign, the suitcases take a seat in the interview chair and look back on their journey. They talk about fears, doubts or challenges they faced and how KLM Ground Services took all of that away. Whatever their story was, they all shared their deep appreciation for the baggage handlers at KLM. They talked about it with so much excitement; that would get anyone excited about the job. As the tagline of our campaign concludes: 'Become a luggage handler at KLM. It will make our suitcases happy! And it will make you happy, too.’
Result
Thanks to this campaign, 1 in 4 has visited the job site and 1 in 5 has even started the application process. Meaning that no fewer than 1 in 5 job views have resulted in the intent to apply. Thanks to this high-quality and eye-catching campaign and smart choices in media, enough staff was hired to have the next holiday peak run smoothly and enough are lined up for the even bigger peak in summer. All thanks to our talking suitcases!