The hardware chain RONA wanted to hit hard with an advertisement to try to recruit young retirees in order to deal with the labor shortage, a campaign deemed “original”, according to a marketing specialist.
“Ron Fournier comes out of retirement to bring you out of retirement!” It is with this slogan and the image of the famous radio host and former professional hockey referee Ron Fournier that RONA launched its campaign on Thursday.
The advertisement was broadcast both on Quebec websites and on the front page of the Thursday edition of Montreal Journal. She announces a Facebook live that will take place in the evening on the RONA page, after the Montreal Canadiens game, a nod to the career of Ron Fournier.
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“It’s a very original campaign,” said Luc Dupont, professor in the communications department at the University of Ottawa.
The mix of use of a traditional media – such as the Journal de Montréal – and Facebook live – where the young retirees targeted by the advertising are located, was particularly praised.
This is also one of the rare times where a recruitment campaign directly affects people who have finished their career.
“We know, in Quebec, the problem is finding employees. In the case of older employees, they are extremely reliable people, they are also people who have time, who often still want to work,” explained Mr. Dupont.
“The government will eventually have to wake up and decide to adjust all of this fiscally to ensure that it is interesting for elderly people to come back to work,” he also argued.