CareerBuilder ad an extravaganza of misery

CareerBuilder is returning to the Super Bowl not with chimps but with cube monkeys—desperate office drones apparently not bright enough to see the signs that their work life sucks until the job site sets them straight. This ad from Wieden + Kennedy shows us a woman screaming as she arrives at work, a boss flagrantly disrespecting his staff, a guy at his desk who wears just a Speedo, and somebody punching a koala bear. In other words, it's just like every office on earth. So, this campaign basically insults the intelligence of its target audience, because anyone not sailing by on a trust fund knows that most jobs ultimately crush your soul. Except for AdFreak, of course, where the boss is a koala, all sweet and cuddly—and we scream because we love working for him so very very much. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to head down to HR. Something about my "bad attitude." Jerks. Where's that Speedo?

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on January 23, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under CareerBuilder, Gianatasio, Job sites, Super Bowl, Wieden + Kennedy

Let the battle of the monster job sites begin

Job-search advertising is getting truly monstrous this year. We've already written about Fallon's new ads for The Ladders, which feature Guilala, a '60s Japanese movie beast so cheap he makes Godzilla look like something out of a Merchant Ivory film. But now the battle is joined as the category kingpin, Monster.com, launches its own spots from BBDO. Each one asserts, "There's never been a better time to go to Monster.com," and you'll get no argument from us, what with all the layoffs lately. The Monster push focuses on people who are trapped in the "wrong jobs," like high-rise construction. The worker above might want to suck it up, though, because in this grim economic climate, hundreds of people would be eager to take his place. Monster's cartoon mascot isn't featured, which is probably for the best: Guilala would eat him as a starter course. CareerBuilder, best known for its chimp ads, can take heart. The market's getting brutal and the competition's rough, but King Kong is still available.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on January 15, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under BBDO, Gianatasio, Job sites, Monster

Ladders' little monster airs some grievances

Fallon has created these enjoyable online extras for job site The Ladders to augment its "Monsters" TV spot. In these "behind-the-scenes interviews," one of the pint-sized creatures from the ad complains about his giant counterpart's starring role, plots revenge on the commercial's director and whines about the misuse of his method-acting skills—all reinforcing the campaign's premise that "not everyone is ready for the big jobs." The British accent, I must confess, took me by surprise, particularly since Guilala is a beast of the '60s Japanese Kaiju variety. At times, he sounds like a cross between Kelsey Grammer and Sir Martin Sorrell. (If you were to cross those two, by the way, you'd get a creature like Guilala—the big one that spits fireballs and generally lays waste. Scary.) Also, posted below: another new Fallon spot for The Ladders, with a safari hunting theme.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on January 9, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Fallon, Gianatasio, Job sites, Ladders

The Ladders only wants the worst monsters

Here's a new commercial from Fallon Minneapolis for premium job-search site The Ladders, showing a bunch of small-fry monsters trying (and failing) to wreak havoc on a cityscape and instill fear in its populace. "If you think about it," says the voiceover, "this is what makes The Ladders different from other job-search sites. We only work with the big talent." The site evidently only deals with executives who make $100,000 or more—personified in the spot by a suitably devastating Japanese creature. It's a nice twist on the usual Godzilla ad theme, with the added bonus of seamless dressing down Monster.com and its ilk.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on January 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (8)
Filed under Fallon, Japanese monsters, Job sites, Ladders, Nudd