Black Hawk County approves $40,000 digital recruitment campaign with Pixel Labs
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Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a $40,000 contract with Pixel Labs for a targeted digital and television recruitment advertising campaign to help fill county jobs. The board will pay $20,000 up front, with departments sharing remaining costs; the campaign is expected to start within about 30 days.
Black Hawk CountyBoard of Supervisors voted to approve a $40,000 contract with Pixel Labs for a targeted digital and television recruitment advertising campaign aimed at increasing applicants for county jobs.
Hannah Bessemer, the county human resources director, told the board the campaign was first discussed in October 2024 and that the county solicited eight bids before narrowing to three finalists: KWL, On Media and Pixel Labs. Bessemer said the proposed contract covers production and advertising placement and that the board would pay $20,000 of the total, with the balance split among departments that have the most pressing recruitment needs.
"This would include advertising and highlighting Black Hawk County as an employer that would reach audiences throughout the Northeast region of Iowa," Bessemer said. She identified priority positions as assistant county attorney, civilian detention officer and deputy sheriff in the sheriff's office, dispatchers, public health nurses and roads equipment operators.
Zach Pepperman, owner of Pixel Labs, said Pixel's approach focuses on role-specific messaging on social platforms and that the contractor will meet with individual departments to tailor content. "The idea of the whole campaign was to keep it unique to each department," Pepperman said.
Aaron Jarnigan, brand strategist with Pixel Labs, said Pixel recommends social and platform-targeted advertising over Google Ads for cost efficiency in most cases, and that the exact media mix will depend on the county's goals and budgets. He said Pixel would measure success by tracking ad-driven traffic to job postings and by working with the county's applicant-tracking data.
Bessemer said the finalists reported experience with other public-sector clients, including work Pixel Labs did for Black Hawk County Public Health. She said the campaign was structured as a four-month initiative not to exceed $40,000, with departments able to continue or extend at their own cost if the effort is successful.
The board motion to approve the contract was made and seconded during the meeting; the roll call recorded in the transcript shows Supervisor Grant voting "no," and Supervisors Leland, Kerpenbach and Paul recorded as "yes." The board clerk said a contract would be prepared for the chair to sign.
The campaign is expected to begin within about 30 days. Bessemer and county staff said departments will work with Pixel Labs on content and that the county will use analytics from its NeoGov applicant-tracking system to help measure whether applicants report seeing the advertising.
