Monster unveils strategic brand road-map for 2004

Monster is launching an expansive online marketing effort to broaden National and local reach.

In anticipation of its upcoming 10-year anniversary, Monster, the global online careers site and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc., today announced a new brand campaign and tag-line, Todayís the Day. In addition, the company unveiled details about its comprehensive 2004 marketing strategy. As part of its planned $125 million global marketing budget, the U.S. program includes television, radio, print and online advertising, along with sponsorship and other non-traditional activities, and celebrates the vibrant essence of the Monster brand.

Over the past ten years, Monster has become one of the most recognisable global brands. Our 2004 plan - defined by continuous advertising, a multi-faceted online marketing strategy and ongoing sponsorships. This is designed to further maximise our brand recognition as the online recruitment leader, as well as enable us to reach a broader, more qualified audience at national and local levels, said Jeff Taylor, founder and chief monster. The íTodayís the Dayí campaign is alive, encouraging and hopeful. As we embark on the New Year, it is these inspirational qualities that empower job seekers everywhere to take control of their careers and realise their dreams and aspirations.

Todayís the Day will launch with the debut of a new creative campaign produced by Monsterís advertising agency of record, Deutsch Inc. of New York. The multi-spot campaign and tag-iline aims to give a voice to the strength of the Monster brand, and convey a message to job seekers and employers about making goals and aspirations a reality.

Monsterís campaign will include a continuous TV advertising presence throughout the year to reach a broad cross-section of national and local viewers. The first 30-second spot, titled Today, debuts on December 26th during the College Bowl Championship Series. It features everyday people getting ready to start their day, knowing that this will be my day. A voice-over asks uplifting, thought-provoking questions all beginning with the phrase Will today be the day...? Accompanying the tag line at the end of the spot is new animation of Trump, Monsterís signature mascot. The new animation of Trump was designed by John Kricfalusi, who is best known for his work on the Ren & Stimpy show.

The campaignís next 30-second spot will debut during Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1st, 2004, continuing Monsterís tradition of debuting memorable commercials, such as 1999ís famous When I Grow Up. Monster spots will also air on network television and national cable, including ESPN, VH1, Comedy Central, TLC, USA, and BET, as well as during highly televised national events such as The Rose Bowl; The Sugar Bowl; and the NCAA, PGA, and U.S. Open (tennis) tournaments; among others.

In 2004, Monster will direct approximately $50 million towards national and local marketing initiatives, which includes a significant investment in the broadcast advertising campaign and communication targeted towards the Todayís the Day message. A more cost-effective and efficient online strategy will target websites to broaden Monsterís reach, as well as drive more qualified visitors to the core Monster site and its vertical communities, including Monster Healthcare, MonsterTRAK (college) and Monster Diversity and Inclusion. Components of this multi-faceted strategy include an aggressive presence on high profile search engines, with a focus on geographic and industry-specific keyword buys chosen to generate more targeted reach for Monster. The program also includes multiple online promotions as well as increased affiliate marketing activity.

In addition, Monster today also announced a new strategic alliance with Lycos, whereby it is now the career content provider for Lycos.com, Wired.com and several other sites within Terra Lycos, the sixth most visited property on the Web according to comscore Media Metrix (October 2003). Through the agreement, Lycos users across the United States access to career-related tools, resources and technological expertise at www.lycos.monster.com/. A navigational search panel on the Lycos.com and Wired.com homepages allows site visitors to go directly to a co-branded page to quickly and easily find information about jobs and other career-related resources.