Second Chance Profiles

OOH CampaignsBusiness Consulting and ServicesEuropeUnited Kingdom2022

Campaign Objective

To tackle bias against people with criminal records by giving potential employers a frictionless way to “meet” rehabilitated candidates and hear their stories, leveraging LinkedIn’s platform.

Campaign Story

LinkedIn UK partnered with charity Inside Out to mentor eight young ex-offenders in launching a streetwear line and building LinkedIn profiles. To publicize it, striking murals and billboards in London showcased each participant’s photo and a QR code captioned “Meet ____ – ready to work”. Scanning the code opened that individual’s LinkedIn profile, complete with their skills, resume, and a candid post about turning their life around. The campaign flipped the script: instead of judging mugshots, employers encountered entrepreneurial designers seeking a fresh start.

Execution

LinkedIn identified eight prison leavers, ages 18–27, and helped them create compelling profiles and a clothing brand via the “Inside Out” program

Professional street artists painted large outdoor portraits of the participants around London’s Shoreditch and South Bank, each with a prominent QR code in the corner

The QR, when scanned, deep-linked to that person’s LinkedIn profile where viewers could connect or offer opportunities

LinkedIn ran complementary social ads featuring the stories and invited companies to pledge second-chance interviews

A pop-up “Blank Canvas” fashion store at Westfield Stratford showcased the ex-offenders’ apparel line, further driving media coverage.

Campaign Success

As a result of the campaign, all eight participants secured job offers or business support. The QR-coded billboards drew significant attention on social media and LinkedIn saw a 14% uptick in U.K. conversations around “hiring ex-offenders” during the campaign. The clothing pop-up sold out its limited collection, demonstrating tangible community impact.