Why ‘Every Lesson Shapes the Life’ is True for Both Teachers and Students
Created by Havas London for the Department for Education, ‘Grow Like Only a Teacher Can’ aims to inspire and attract a new wave of talent to the profession by highlighting the many benefits that come with teaching, including those which are less known to the public, such as varied career paths and salary benefits.
Benjamin Goodwin is the star of the campaign’s hero film, which was directed by BAFTA-nominated Bassam Tariq and produced by Pulse Productions. The film traces Ben’s journey as a teacher from his first day, showing the many ways it offers him growth. The film builds momentum throughout, and crescendos with the resounding message of the brand platform: 'Every Lesson Shapes a Life’.
The 40-second version is complemented by a series of cutdowns tailored for social media platforms, OOH and social assets which were shot by renowned photographer and director Juanita Richard. These parts of the campaign showcase the support available from the ‘Get into Teaching’ service for prospective candidates and address topics such as starting salaries for teachers; “With a £30k minimum salary, it pays to do what you love,” reads one line.
LBB’s Alex Reeves caught up with Havas London’s Britt Iverson, executive head of strategy, and executive creative directors Dan Cole and Andy Garnett, to hear about the thinking behind this latest recruitment push.
LBB> 'Every Lesson Shapes a Life' is a campaign that stuck with me emotionally. How has that played out for DfE over the five years or so since it's been out?
Britt, Dan and Andy> Based on a true insight about what makes teachers teach, we’ve built a standalone, emotive teaching brand concept that is relevant for any smart, driven individual regardless of background or type. Since the launch, and across multiple cultural storms, our brand platform has increased pride in teaching and driven up consideration for teaching as a career amongst all audiences.
LBB> What was the brief at the start of the process?
Britt, Dan and Andy> The brief was to shine a light on how teaching benefits the teacher as much as the student, by providing a rich, varied and exciting career which includes opportunities for progression and growth and salary benefits.
LBB> How did you translate that strategy into a 40-second story? What were the key things that needed to be included?
Britt, Dan and Andy> Our focus was to take a career which is typically seen as a very selfless pursuit and highlight how it can benefit you as an individual. One of the key things we needed to include was our teacher’s journey, starting from his first day – which sat at the very heart of our campaign film.
LBB> Whereas the benefits of teaching that the previous campaign highlighted were more societal and altruistic, this campaign underlines the opportunity to build a career for yourself. What was the thinking behind that shift?
Britt, Dan and Andy> People know that teaching is an incredibly important job in society, but they may not be aware of all the benefits of the teaching profession, such as opportunities for individual growth and progression that exist in the teaching career. ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’ is just as true for the teacher as it is for the student.
LBB> What did director Bassam Tariq bring to the film? Why was he the right choice?
Britt, Dan and Andy> He was able to bring a balance of energy and dynamism that the campaign needed, with real, human emotion too. Also, his approach to casting our hero teacher (a real teacher) was incredible. We knew from his previous work and our treatment conversations that he wanted to immerse himself in the world of teaching but he really dived into it. He flew over from the US as soon as he was awarded the job and stayed for the whole duration, visiting schools and teachers to get as close to the subject as possible. It really reassured our clients and ourselves that the result would be as authentic as possible.
LBB> What was the process like working with a real teacher as the lead? What did he bring to the role?
Britt, Dan and Andy> Ben was brilliant from the start. He brought a lot of great insights on how he teaches and his day-to-day process that Bassam and the creatives really took on board. It made the actual shoot much smoother as we had already discussed so much of what Ben would be doing for real in his day job, and that informed the action. Plus he was very natural throughout, which helped the pupils do the same.
LBB> What are some of your favourite moments from the film and why?
Britt, Dan and Andy> Got to love the table tennis scene. The fact the kids can teach the teachers a lesson from time to time is great to see. I think the students really enjoyed that one too.
Like we said, the relationship between Ben and the students was very relaxed and real – but I think they particularly enjoyed being asked to smash the return shot as hard as possible. Ben had to duck a few times!
