It began with the revival of a strong female character who once inspired women to enter manufacturing – another traditionally male-dominated industry – back in the 1940s. University of Phoenix rebooted the iconic “Rosie the Riveter” campaign for the modern day, in an effort to inspire women to pursue careers in tech.

The animated short brings Rosie the Riveter into the 21st century with the story of “Rosa,” a single mom who loses her manufacturing job to automation. Inspired by her Rosie the Riveter poster, she goes back to school and starts a new career in IT (Information Technology). She rises above her circumstances by choosing to adapt.

The animated film launched the campaign on national broadcast and online and was supported with sponsored editorial on tech sites featuring real female graduates working in tech as role models. The university joined forces with Pepsi to implement a “Million Women Mentors Program” to help reduce the gender gap in STEM and tech fields. 48 top female students from the University’s College of Information Systems and Technology were paired with PepsiCo IT leaders to receive 20 hours of career advice and resources.

The film received over 21 million views and the campaign caused a 371% lift in search traffic, the highest branded search lift for an educational advertiser to date. Closing the gender gap in tech will be an ongoing effort. It’s too soon to see major, concrete results in terms of jobs filled in the industry. However, social listening on University of Phoenix platforms, increased web site visits and requests for information for the IS&T school shows that the campaign made an impact and inspired interest. Motivating women to ask questions and consider a new career path in tech.