The Frankfurt transport company (VGF) is using an unusual medium to attract new employees: the cinema. With a specially produced commercial currently showing on the big screen, the municipal company aims to provide insights into its working environment and at the same time promote careers in public transport.
With a tongue-in-cheek tone and rapid succession of images, the short film shows workplaces that would otherwise remain hidden from passengers: workshops, depots, control centres and underground facilities. Around 40 VGF employees took part in the filming, supplemented by professional actors. Filming took place in locations including the light rail central workshop, on trains and in technical operating rooms beneath the stations. Wolfgang Siefert, Head of Mobility, sees the cinema advert as part of a long-term strategy to recruit skilled workers. The aim is to highlight the diversity of professions at VGF and at the same time to recognise the achievements of the approximately 3,000 employees who maintain local transport in Frankfurt on a daily basis. The film is intended to show how demanding and broad the company's range of tasks is. The VGF management also emphasises the narrative approach of the project. Labour director Kerstin Jerchel speaks of a conscious departure from traditional recruiting formats. The aim is to appeal to potential applicants with a story, humour and high-quality images. In order to ensure the quality of local transport in the long term, committed skilled workers who identify with their work are needed.
The cinema campaign ties in with last year's recruitment initiative "Become part of us", which was visible in the cityscape with its eye-catching striped look. According to the company, this campaign helped to overcome staff shortages; regular operations resumed with the latest timetable change. However, Technical Director Steffen Geers emphasises that recruiting staff remains an ongoing task – in the transport service as well as in workshops, depots and control centres. From the perspective of Commercial Director Thomas Raasch, the cinema is a deliberately regional location. In addition to the existing cooperation with Cinestar Metropolis, the advert is also to be shown in other Frankfurt cinemas. This will enable the company to reach people from the city and the surrounding area in a targeted manner. The film was produced by the Frankfurt agencies "Schall und Rauch" and "werksfarbe". Former tram driver Peter Wirth, known as "Bahnbabo", plays a special role in the film, appearing in a short scene. The advert is therefore not only a promotional film, but also an attempt to rebrand the image of public transport as an employer.
