I hope the people at TiVo are watching my DVR, because Franki and I watch commercials.  Not the bad ones, but if something looks interesting, or it's a product we like (BMW), we stop and admire.  That's not good for local advertisements, but big national brands interest us, so we watch.

Careerbuilder, who we've followed before because of our attachment to the recruiting world, has launched a series of new ads after their "Heart" commercial in the Superbowl failed so badly.  We've discussed job board ads before - Franki compared last year's Monster ads to eHarmony, and pointed out that actual user experience aside, the ads work because they sell "hope."  That's what you need in a job search. You uproot your life and take a chance, hoping the new job will be better than the old one.

So what exactly is Careerbuilder doing?  They're not selling hope - they're selling disgruntlement.  Not a word, but it's what they are doing. Maybe it's the constant media drumming on a likely recession, but Careerbuilder has decided that the way to boost the job board industry is to talk about how much your job sucks.  I'm not sure about the wisdom of the approach, but I do like the tagline.  Start Building.

Although a job board isn't the place to start networking, the message is the right one, and I found this commercial to be funny, and relevant.  When everyone in your life is telling you it's time to go - it's time to go.

I hope the people at TiVo are watching my DVR, because Franki and I watch commercials.  Not the bad ones, but if something looks interesting, or it's a product we like (BMW), we stop and admire.  That's not good for local advertisements, but big national brands interest us, so we watch.

Careerbuilder, who we've followed before because of our attachment to the recruiting world, has launched a series of new ads after their "Heart" commercial in the Superbowl failed so badly.  We've discussed job board ads before - Franki compared last year's Monster ads to eHarmony, and pointed out that actual user experience aside, the ads work because they sell "hope."  That's what you need in a job search. You uproot your life and take a chance, hoping the new job will be better than the old one.

So what exactly is Careerbuilder doing?  They're not selling hope - they're selling disgruntlement.  Not a word, but it's what they are doing. Maybe it's the constant media drumming on a likely recession, but Careerbuilder has decided that the way to boost the job board industry is to talk about how much your job sucks.  I'm not sure about the wisdom of the approach, but I do like the tagline.  Start Building.

Although a job board isn't the place to start networking, the message is the right one, and I found this commercial to be funny, and relevant.  When everyone in your life is telling you it's time to go - it's time to go.