NGA Foundation Aims to Attract Essential Grocery Workers

The National Grocers Association (NGA) Foundation is investing in a multichannel campaign to attract workers from other industries, including restaurants, who have been displaced due to the pandemic to new careers in the grocery industry.

The foodservice industry has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, with many restaurants cutting staff or shuttering altogether as state and local mandates limit indoor dining, and in some places, outdoor dining as well. Grocers, however, have been deemed an essential business and have a need for additional help as demand has soared for food prepared and consumed at home.

The multichannel campaign, led by marketing firm AR Marketing, includes digital retargeting ads, social and Spotify ads that are designed to spread awareness about the NGA Foundation Career Center’s resources as well as news about industry career fairs and hiring initiatives. The campaign aims to drive traffic to and increase awareness of grocerycareer.org, which directly connects users to the top jobs and candidates available with independent supermarkets throughout the country.

“The Career Center website is a great place to learn more about the grocery industry and the many jobs that are available at a crucial juncture in the nation’s economy,” said Maggie White, director of the NGA Foundation, Arlington, Va., in a release. “Workers displaced from industries like foodservice and hospitality due to the pandemic already have the appropriate skills to be successful in grocery.”

Job exposure and views in the Career Center have increased steadily since the start of the campaign. Exposures rose 270% between September and November, while job views rose 170% during the same period, NGA said. Meanwhile, Facebook impressions of Career Center job postings increased more than 1,000% and Career Center Spotify ads enjoyed a 1-1 impressions-to-reach ratio, with nearly 90% of users listening to ads all the way through.

The Career Center launched in 2019 with the financial support of the dissolved East Central Ohio Food Dealers.