Monster has a handful of new TV commercials running nationally. In a world where ads from ZipRecruiter and Indeed are inescapable, it’s a welcome change of pace. If you haven’t seen them, here an example:
With ZipRecruiter targeting employers with most of its spots, and Indeed mixing in resume posting messages in with job posting spots, very similar to ZipRecruiter’s, the strategy of wanting to be branded “mobile” seems smart, and well overdue. If I asked you to think of the job search platform that’s mobile-first, you’d be hard-pressed to come-up with a clear answer.
“Monster’s historical equity has been to be on the side of the seeker — to make looking for and finding a job easier,” said Jonathan Beamer, Monster’s chief marketing officer. “This means, in part, that we need to be where our seekers are. The shift to mobile in our audience has been incredible. Our seekers want to interact with Monster over their phones and we want to ensure that they know we are there for them. These ads highlight that we are finding ways to make it easier to explore opportunities.”
There’s also the realization that to an entire generation of job seekers, Monster means energy drink and not job search. To introduce yourself to them with a mobile-first message potentially gives Monster the opportunity to reconnect favorably with a whole new audience.
It’s a strategy akin to Old Spice. For my generation, Old Spice was something grandparents used. However, for millennial consumers, Old Spice is a quirky, fun brand. The company understood focusing on Gen Xers was a waste of time, and that pushing the restart on a whole new age group made sense. I suspect Monster is hoping for the same.
“This fits into a broader strategy of evening the playing field for the seeker,” said Beamer. “Highlighting that we have the mobile offering allows them to engage with us through a channel they’re most comfortable with and the resume assessment tool helps ensure they’re presenting the best version of themselves.”
Humanizing the brand, which Monster is also hoping to do, should play well with millennials too, is a focus, underscored by recent updates to the job search functionality. I suspect getting rid of banner ads is a small gesture that should go over nicely with younger folks who turn off advertising.
“Monster is still the leading brand in the market,” said Beamer. “We see real opportunity in being on the side of the seeker in a world that is commoditizing the job search to a sterile, transaction-driven marketplace.”
The ads are currently running in the U.S., but the company is keeping its options open with an eye to global markets. Beamer said it has a robust plan in place to continue to ensure that it’s in front of the people it’s trying to help. Additionally, Monster is targeting a broad universe of job seekers.
“We’re focusing our efforts on an underserved portion of the workforce — the real people who power our economy, from the nurses to the truck drivers, from to the construction managers to the IT leads,” said Beamer. “These are the doers. They make things happen. Because of that, their roles are among the most highly sought after today. Despite that, they’ve largely been neglected. We’re optimistic about the opportunity to help these workers show employers their value and help employers find them.”
Of course, it’ll take more than a few humorous ads to put Monster back in-play the way it used to be. Throw in the fact that it’s now dealing with the likes of Google and Facebook in the employment space and the mountain its climbing starts to look like Everest pretty quickly. That said, however, Monster is making changes in the executive suite and upgrades to technology that gives them a fighting chance.
“Monster is still the leading brand in the market,” said Beamer. “We see real opportunity in being on the side of the seeker in a world that is commoditizing the job search to a sterile, transaction-driven marketplace.”
By all accounts, it’s looks like the sleeping Monster is waking up. At this point, only time will tell if the teeth are as sharp as they once were.