Pot Noodle, the iconic British snack brand, sought to create a meaningful impact on the lives of young people in the UK. The goal was to create an engaging and accessible Careers platform that would inspire and empower young people to explore diverse career paths outside of conventional sectors.

Through comprehensive student insight panels involving three key demographics—university students (ages 18-24), college/apprenticeship seekers (ages 18-24), and sixth formers (ages 16-18)—we uncovered a pressing need for paid internship opportunities.

Participants expressed frustration with the competitive nature of traditional job markets, indicating a desire for accessible, real-world experience in creative industries like film, music, fashion, sport, publishing, tech, and gaming.

In response to these insights, we launched Pot Noodle Internships, a digital platform featuring 150 companies committed to providing paid internships in the identified industries, alongside the 'Stir Up Your Future' campaign identity, designed to inspire and engage prospective students on their employment journey.

To help drive awareness among students we created both on and offline experiences, with a live careers fair hosted at Connell College in Manchester, where prospective employers would provide insight and advice to students considering their next career move. To drive engagement and traffic to the newly developed website, www.potnoodleinternships.com, we designed an innovative Virtual Alternative Careers Fair streamed live on Twitch—which was the very first of its kind in the UK.

The Virtual Alternative Careers Fair spanned two days, with each hour dedicated to a specific industry, featuring Q&A sessions with company representatives and interactive challenges that encouraged participation. This strategy not only raised awareness about alternative career paths but also created an engaging, community-driven environment for young people to explore opportunities.

The Virtual Alternative Careers Fair was executed seamlessly, leveraging Twitch as a platform to reach a tech-savvy audience. Each segment featured dynamic content, including live Q&As, interactive challenges, and on-screen prompts that directed viewers to the internships site. High-value prizes incentivised participation, while the overall accessible format allowed young people to engage with educational content in real-time. The success of the live stream was amplified through targeted social media campaigns and collaborations with influencers, driving traffic to the platform and increasing brand visibility.

The campaign's results were remarkable, with over 100,000 young people visiting the site to explore alternative career paths in music, tech, sport, and gaming. 3,500 applications were submitted for the available internships, leading to 150 young people securing paid positions. The live stream was instrumental in this success, attracting 9,516 live viewers and converting them into 21,445 visits to the Pot Noodle internships website during the event.

Beyond these impressive metrics, the campaign left a lasting positive impact, with many partnering companies extending offers for full-time roles to the students hired through the program.

The campaign has garnered multiple awards, including Gold at the Drum Awards for Social Purpose and Best Virtual/Live Stream Experience as well as Gold at the RAD Awards.

Watch the awards entry creative below.