Skilled Trades College of Canada (STC) is saying there’s nothing trivial about the trades, drawing overall awareness via a take on classic game shows.

“The Game Show” campaign has eight components that will be shared throughout this year, and features Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes as a contestant and sports anchor, with TSN basketball commentator Jack Armstrong as the host. Barnes, a long-time partner and champion of STC, anchored with his Future Builders Scholarship, flexes his skills as the winner by correctly identifying the numerous trade professions that garner more than $100,000 per year.

“The Game Show series is a fun take on the classic, with the goal of challenging the stigma of the trades with digestible, informative, comedic components,” explains Ralph Cerasuolo, the institution’s president and CEO, who adds that the set was completely built by current STC students.

The campaign’s strategy is to drive overall awareness of Skilled Trades College of Canada and the need for trades in the province as a whole. As Cerasuolo tells strategy, STC provides students with “skills that pay the bills” and thanks to its accelerated program, graduates are ready to work in just 12 weeks.

STC is homing in on potential students – men and women aged 16 to 35 – and their parents, and making the case that the institution is an accessible and efficient way to enter the workforce, especially, as the demand for trades continues to grow in Canada Cerasuolo says.

The new commercial spots are STC’s second significant marketing push of the year. In January, the college announced a year-long partnership with the mixed martial arts promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

As an official partner of the UFC, STC will receive brand integrations within the promotion’s Canadian live events, including high visibility placement inside the Octagon and in-venue booth activations that will provide opportunities for in-person fan engagement.

This began with STC acting as the presenting partner of UFC 297 with global rights. This is a first-of-its-kind partnership for STC and, similar to the Scottie Barners partnership, it’s one that closely aligns with the school’s values of grit, determination and work ethic.

“The goal with these marketing initiatives is to create excitement, awareness and ultimately, enrollment, providing graduates with a solid pathway to success,” Cerasuolo says.

Marketing for the new partnerships was led by AOR NewPath Sports and Entertainment (talent buy, coordination and brokerage) and supported by Shadow Lion (creative), which won the remit in the fall of 2023. The Influence Agency (social) and Art PR, supporting the new work as well.

The ad spots are airing on CP24, and the campaign overall is the result of a hike in ad spending for STC.