With the #LaborDayOn initiative, a small-town boot-brand took on the highest unemployment rate in US history, launching a movement that rallied more than 220 brands to do the same. With over 826M total media impressions valued at over $7.8B, the impact of #LaborDayOn was seismic. On a day that is usually cluttered with promos for end-of-summer sales, Red Wing put the American worker first, bringing Labor Day back to its roots and earning Red Wing the attention of the media, the respect of their partners, and the gratitude of Americans nationwide.

Red Wing Shoes is a brand that has long been associated with supporting the skilled workers of America. They asked us to help honor this legacy with a brand action on Labor Day that celebrated these workers. There was just one problem: due to the pandemic, America was facing the highest unemployment rate in years. And for 25 million unemployed Americans, this Labor Day wouldn’t be a day off.

In 2020, the pandemic had decimated our workforce. So when Labor Day rolled around, a public holiday intended to celebrate the American workers, it was clear they needed more than the usual holiday sales. They needed jobs. That's how the #LaborDayOn initiative was born. Instead of promoting discounts on work boots, we used Red Wing’s retail stores, customer service line, website, social, and film to promote every open position we had, setting the stage for what would spark a movement spanning across every industry. With over 220 brands joining the initiative, #LaborDayOn set social media on fire, helping connect unemployed Americans to jobs nationwide. Like that, a small-town boot brand brought Labor Day back to its roots, turning a day off into a day that took on the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression, and uplifted workers in cities big and small.

We looked to target both unemployed American workers as well as the American trade workers that make up Red Wing’s consumer base, with the ambition of creating a dent in culture. To do this, we called on brands to use their owned social channels to post job listings, thereby driving reach and prompting action (via applications) in-feed. For brands and businesses getting involved day-of, our campaign site hosted downloadable social templates and an overview of the initiative to grow organic participation. To further amplify the campaign across audiences, we partnered with Twitter to help us drive reach and allow our audiences to use posts to apply, share and/or retweet job listings. The hashtag strategy ultimately acted as a job board by aggregating the available jobs. Paid media made #LaborDayOn the top Twitter trend on Labor Day and ensured Red Wing’s ownership of the initiative.

We launched a week prior to Labor Day with an interactive film that featured real, clickable open jobs within Red Wing. We also converted 525 of Red Wing’s retail stores into job centers, and their customer service line into a job search hotline. But we knew that Red Wing jobs alone couldn’t help a staggering 25 million unemployed people. So we called on other brands to join the initiative and post their open positions using #LaborDayOn. We also created a set of downloadable graphics that could easily be shared across social channels. When Labor Day hit, 220 brands rallied by our side, turning social feeds across the country into national job boards featuring openings from companies spanning every industry. On a public holiday that’s usually inundated with discounts and deals, a Minnesota boot brand told a different story, sparking a movement that helped connect millions of unemployed Americans to jobs.

#LaborDayOn garnered 689M PR and earned-media impressions, valued at $7.6B in paid media:

Organically featured in 100+ publications, including The New York Times, USA Today and Forbes

80% of headlines credited Red Wing for starting #LaborDayOn

With an additional 133M social impressions day-of, Red Wing claimed big wins like:

Shout-outs from celebrities like Leah Remini and the governor of Minnesota

Hashtag trended nationwide, accruing 77MM Twitter impressions alone

1 in 10 #LaborDayOn posts mentioned Red Wing

90% positive net sentiment

With 826M total media impressions and over 220 partners, the campaign was far-reaching and impactful:

Almost 200K visitors to Red Wing stores & webpages (13% above goal)

35% more sales for Red Wing, YoY

29% more applications for open jobs at Red Wing, YoY

600% increase in job applications, YoY, for some partner brands

On a holiday known for “just another sale,” Red Wing instead brought hope to American workers.