The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) on Thursday launched its ‘Teachers are the Real Influencers’ campaign, the newest wave of its ongoing Alabama teacher recruitment efforts aimed at increasing the number of future Alabama teachers.
Beginning Thursday, March 2, to support overall campaign objectives, are multiple advertising and public relations efforts targeting high school and college students, including social media, YouTube ad spots, pre-roll, display advertising and more. The campaign highlights the fun, engaging and entertaining aspects of a teacher’s work in a language and medium that speaks to a young audience.
“Like many states across the country, Alabama continues to face a teacher shortage and needs continued focus on recruiting new talent to the education field,” said Alabama State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey. “To capture the attention of passionate members of the next generation and beyond — frequently referred to as Gen Z — we want to remind them how important teachers are to our future, both as a state and as individuals.”
In a recent study, a nationwide agency founded to help grow businesses and bring underlying growth issues to the forefront found that one in four members of Generation Z aspire to be social media influencers with large audiences at some point in their lives. This campaign aims to speak to these aspirations while illustrating that young Alabamians can have substantial influence another way — through pursuing a teaching career.
“Teachers are the real influencers. By spotlighting current Alabama teachers and their impact, we hope more young people will answer the call to join a field that, without question, changes lives,” said Dr. Mackey.
For more information on the Alabama State Department of Education, visit here.

