Yahoo HotJobs executives hope the site's tie-in with NBC's “The Apprentice” raises awareness of its expanded job search.
Though the “25,000 Signing Bonus Sweepstakes” is just a small part of the overall “Apprentice” marketing partnership between Yahoo and Mark Burnett Productions, HotJobs expects “tens of thousands” of entrants in the sweepstakes.
“It's the right place, right time and right product. The storyline of 'The Apprentice' and looking for a job is a great tie-in,” said Marc Karasu, vice president of marketing at Yahoo HotJobs.
Sweeps entrants post or update their resume on HotJobs before Oct. 21. The winner is selected in a random draw around Nov. 11. Though “The Apprentice” gets some of the spotlight in the promotion, HotJobs executives are using the opportunity to promote its expanded job search, which launched in July. The new search gives users access to jobs from across the Web, not just those listed on HotJobs.
“We're doing a better job at getting jobs from smaller, more niche sites so that a job seeker has more of a one-stop destination,” Karasu said.
When HotJobs ran an “Apprentice”-themed sweeps last year, tens of thousands of people applied. Karasu expects an equal or higher number this year.
HotJobs also is tied to “The Apprentice” in other promotions. The cabs that transport the “fired” candidates are branded “Yahoo HotJobs,” and the site helps in the search for candidates to be on the show. Other cross-promotions include Yahoo Alerts, which sends news about the show to fans via e-mail, instant messenger and mobile devices.
Commercials airing during “The Apprentice” and “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” will tie in to various Yahoo properties, depending on the content of the show. An episode of “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” featured a task in which contestants designed a children's book for Random House. The corresponding commercial urged viewers to go to Yahoo and search for “Apprentice” books. From there, they are linked to Yahoo Shopping to buy “Apprentice” books.
Christine Blank covers online marketing and advertising, including e-mail marketing and paid search, for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
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