3-minute read:

THE CHALLENGE

A Fortune 200 utility company faced a critical workforce transition: experienced trades workers were aging out faster than younger generations were entering the field. But this wasn't simply a recruitment problem, it was a diffusion crisis (career adoption wasn't spreading naturally).

Skilled trades were stuck in what behavioral science calls "the chasm," the gap between early adopters who believe in a career path and the pragmatic majority who need proof before committing. Current workers couldn't effectively evangelize their profession to younger audiences because they were speaking believer language to people who needed pragmatist evidence.

Leadership needed to understand why natural career adoption had stalled and how to bridge that gap systematically.

OUR APPROACH

We designed research to decode the psychological barriers preventing career path diffusion. Through multi-segment interviews and behavioral analysis, we mapped how different audiences evaluate career decisions and what signals actually influence their choices.

The research focused on understanding the disconnect between how current workers communicate about trades careers versus how potential workers actually process career information. This meant examining both the emotional logic current workers used to justify their career satisfaction and the cognitive shortcuts younger audiences used to evaluate career options.

Selected slides from the audience segmentation and message positioning phase:

WHAT WE DISCOVERED

The research revealed a classic chasm dynamic. Experienced workers were communicating with early adopter enthusiasm, talking about passion, purpose, and craft mastery. But younger audiences were operating from pragmatist psychology, seeking proof points around stability, growth trajectories, and social perception.

Current workers would say "I love the hands-on problem solving and the pride of building something that lasts." Younger audiences heard "old-fashioned work that technology will replace." The advocacy message was getting lost in translation between believer mindset and pragmatist evaluation criteria.

More critically, we discovered that younger audiences were making fast, intuitive judgments about trades careers based on outdated cultural signals, while the industry was trying to convince them with slow, rational arguments about benefits and job security. The emotional decision was made before the logical case was even heard.

THE STRATEGY

Instead of improving recruitment messages, we redesigned the advocacy system. We identified the specific proof points and social signals that pragmatic audiences actually use to evaluate career viability, then equipped current workers to communicate in that language.

The approach shifted from "selling trades careers" to "enabling career evangelism." We developed frameworks that helped experienced workers translate their early adopter enthusiasm into pragmatist-friendly evidence, focusing on outcomes younger audiences could immediately recognize as valuable.

This meant emphasizing advancement pathways over passion, highlighting technology integration over traditional craft, and providing social proof from peers rather than industry statistics.

THE IMPACT

The organization gained a systematic framework for crossing the career adoption chasm. Rather than hoping younger audiences would discover trades careers organically, they could deliberately bridge the gap between believer advocacy and pragmatist decision-making.

The research directly informed creative strategy across all touchpoints, from branded films and website overhauls to recruiting materials and event experiences. The advocacy framework guided not just what to communicate, but how the organization presented itself entirely.

The work proved that workforce challenges often aren't about finding the right people. They're about enabling effective advocacy diffusion. When you understand the psychological barriers preventing adoption, you can design systems that pull people across the chasm rather than pushing messages at them.

This research demonstrates how behavioral psychology transforms recruitment from a volume game into a precision strategy for enabling career path evangelism.