Spot Light | Monster.com

Not mad enough

Reviewer: Anil Thomas

Anil Thomas, regional creative director, McCann Worldgroup, has been with the advertising world for 16 years but is still clueless about what got him into the fraternity of creatives. He has worked on campaigns like Scooty, Britannia Bourbon and Bingo, and has been involved in client servicing and media planning.

Campaign

The television commercial of Monster.com by Dentsu Marcom Pvt. Ltd is a funny depiction of two aspiring job-seekers who carry symbols of luck to better their chances of getting jobs. The ad screens a moment between two candidates flaunting “good luck charms” that will help them get jobs. While the two are engrossed in their play, a third candidate, who has been active on Monster.com, walks away with the job.

Your first thoughts on the campaign?

I felt it was quite a to-the-point kind of an ad with a little bit of madness thrown in. It has the classic old insight that to land a job it requires more than just the pre-required skill-set. Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes it’s some connection here and there. So yes, it is quite a competent piece of work.

Would you have done the ad differently?

Every creative person would do any piece of work differently. I felt the madness in the commercial could’ve been upped with what the two guys kept taking out of their bags. The mother coming out of the bag was the funny part. It could’ve got much funnier and made the ad more interesting and fun to watch. One wonders if there was an opportunity for the brand to communicate something new. Something that’s topical/current would’ve been interesting.

What message does the television commercial portray of the brand Monster.com?

As mentioned earlier, what it conveys is that it is not luck but a better connection that gets you the job and Monster.com is that connection. For a job portal it seems apt.

Do you think the ad will have high recall value?

That’s something the media planning guys can ensure. It’s all about that now, isn’t it? But yes, it should be an ad that will be recalled. High recall would’ve been a sure thing if the ad, as I said, had become crazier, maybe a touch more controversial.

Is it challenging to work in the employment portal category?

It will always be. Some fantastic work has been done already both internationally and in India. To write something better or as good as what’s been done will always be a challenge. That’s where the fun part is—to try and do something new and hope it’s good.

Any domestic or international ad in the category that has left a lasting impression on you?

Monster.com themselves have done some nice work. I’ve loved the Hari Sadu ad for Naukri.com.

As told to Aminah Sheikh.

aminah.sheikh@livemint.com