Gov. Kristi Noem dresses as plumber, dentist in South Dakota's new $5M workforce campaign

Gov. Kristi Noem launched a nationwide workforce recruitment campaign Wednesday, and the multi-million-dollar effort features advertising involving the second-term governor dressed as a plumber and dentist.

According to a press release, the goal of the new "Freedom Works Here" campaign is to "recruit freedom-loving people" from across the country to live and work in South Dakota, helping to fill the 25,000 open jobs in the state.

The ad campaign will run through Labor Day and came with a total targeted cost of $5 million. The funding comes from the Future Fund, developed after the 1980s recession for the purpose of investing in the state's workforce and economy.

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“We have the best economy in the nation, our unemployment is the lowest in American history, and South Dakota work ethic has never been stronger," Noem stated in the press release. "We are going to show America that South Dakota is the best place to live, work and raise a family. I look forward to continuing to build our winning workforce by welcoming new families to our great state.”

In addition to the two television ads, the campaign includes direct marketing via digital ads and direct mail.

In the first ad video, Noem touts the strength of the state's economy and its growing apprenticeship programs while donning a plumber's uniform. The second video features Noem ready to perform a dental cleaning as she talks about the state not having an income tax and the acceptance of most out-of-state licenses. She ends both videos with a comment indicating she's probably not the best person for that job.

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Noem's press secretary said in an email to the Argus Leader the hope is that the campaign will be as successful as the state's tourism campaign from 2021, since both focused on "freedom."

The campaign based on research done "to identify people who would be likely to move to South Dakota" to best target the ads to certain demographics, the press release states. The release did not state who the research was done by or from where.

More information about the campaign can be found on its website.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota's new $5M campaign ad seeks to draw workers to the state