• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 7, 2023

In a new public awareness campaign with the National Parks Foundation, Carhartt is extending its brand ethos in a different direction. It hopes to recruit Gen Z into entry-level parks positions around the country.

The effort is a bit offbeat for the company, which has long been associated with the building trades and agriculture instead of  outdoor performance and conservation, concedes Brian Bennett, Carhartt's vice president of creative.

"We like to do things that are a little unexpected," he tells Marketing Daily. "But the national parks are like trade schools for outdoor people. Their office is outside. And our research shows this is what Gen Z wants. I call them Next Generation Carhartt."

Younger workers crave careers that combine their values, like environmental concerns, with the chance to work outdoors.

"Our research shows us that about half of Gen Z and millennials say they'd prefer to work outdoors rather than [at] a traditional office job," he says. A much higher percentage -- 85% -- are at least somewhat open to jobs in nature conservation or the outdoors.

The campaign promotes a program highlighting job opportunities in the NPF's service corps, where workers can gain valuable experience and get on track to full-time employment in America's 400-plus national parks.

The service corps needs hundreds of workers this summer. With unemployment at record lows, recruiting is challenged in all industries, as many young people question the work paths their parents followed.

Carhartt's survey also finds that 44% of young workers say "finding a job that aligns with my values" is a top challenge. The out-of-home campaign targets them with billboards showcasing familiar "office job" settings in stunning park scenes.

Billboards are in Detroit, Seattle, Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia, hoping to tempt workers looking for summer jobs.

The broader mission comes as Carhartt is also expanding its distribution. Besides its 35 stores, company products are  available through hardware and agriculture stores, including Tractor Supply, as well as Dick's Sporting Goods and Cabela's. "We're now in that active channel, where consumers are looking for something more versatile," says Bennett.

He adds that the campaign's goal -- other than helping NPF fill its job openings -- is to cement Carhartt's commitment to the national parks with its customers.

Its audience of primarily working-class people "are extremely conscious of how good it feels to be outdoors. It's their reprieve. And the national parks are dream trips for them, a kind of a cathedral. They have aspirations to see many of the most beautiful places in the U.S."

With Gen Z's passion for the environment and sustainability, "we're happy to use our platforms to drive awareness about the parks. And if we can put people on the path to helping fix trails and be a part of this much-bigger mission," it will help build the brand, he says.

"They'll wear our gear and believe in us because we  believe in the things they love."