Loverboy lead singer and writer of the song “Working for the Weekend” Mike Reno rethinks the lyrics to that tune in Boston agency Sleek Machine’s ad for job listings site Indeed.com, entitled “The Rewrite.”
The spot, which runs in 30, 45 and 60-second versions, opens on Reno remorsefully admitting that he was “a little off base” with his “disparaging lyrics” claiming that everyone was looking past the work week to the weekend. In the 60-second version of the ad, Reno then works on amending some of the lyrics. Thanks to Indeed and their job listings people are actually enjoying their time at work, he says, so now “it’s more like everybody’s really enjoying their time at work, and when the weekend comes, that’s fine too.”
While it may be a bit of a one-trick pony capitalizing on the ubiquity of the Loverboy hit in a goofy way, the spot manages to work in the site’s selling point in a way that, while obvious, fits with Reno’s confession that the song’s lyrics are a bit out of touch and makes for a fairly memorable ad in the category.
Credits:
Client: Indeed
Agecy: Sleek Machine, Boston
Chief Creative Officer: Tim Cawley
Senior Integrated Producer: Ben Ouellette
Senior Copywriter: Jeff Mariois
Senior Art Director: Jessica Ruggieri
Music: “Working for the Weekend” by Loverboy
Talent: Mike Reno
Director: Darcy Van Poelgeest
Production Company: Circle/Vancouver
Editor: Kat Baker/Element
If you were wondering what the frontman of ’80s Canadian rock back Loverboy is up to these days, the answer is second guessing the lyrics to “Working for the Weekend” in an ad for job listings site Indeed.com.
Mike Reno anchors the commercial—from ad agency Sleek Machine, with 30-, 45- and 60-second cuts—explaining that, thanks to the recruitment company, more people are happy being at the office. (The short version is punchier, but the longer ones have the sharper kicker—that now, the right idea would be “more like everybody’s really enjoying their time at work, and when the weekend comes, that’s fine too.”)
The band, for its part, is still working (for whatever reason), with a new album out last year, and tour dates scheduled through up to October.
It’s not clear, though, whether Chippendales is standing by the song as the ideal tie-breaker for ridiculously close auditions.
CREDITS Client: Indeed Agecy: Sleek Machine, Boston Chief Creative Officer: Tim Cawley Senior Integrated Producer: Ben Ouellette Senior Copywriter: Jeff Mariois Senior Art Director: Jessica Ruggieri Music: “Working for the Weekend” by Loverboy Talent: Mike Reno Director: Darcy Van Poelgeest Production Company: Circle/Vancouver Editor: Kat Baker/Element
How does a popular job posting site show off the breadth of its help-wanted offerings in the limited space of one commercial? For Indeed, the answer was to use its own listings to hire experienced professionals for the ad’s cast and crew.
“How the world works” is the theme delivered across TV, digital, print and other media in a rollout that began last week in the U.K., targeting both applicants and companies looking to hire. Bright, bouncy and upbeat, the initiative, crafted by Mullen, emphasizes teamwork and striving toward common goals.
A 50-second spot sets the tone, presenting an ad inside an ad with meta twists that turn the medium into the message.
We see folks from various professions “working” among huge letters that spell out the word I-n-d-e-e-d. The camera pulls back to reveal that the action is taking place on a soundstage where an ad is being filmed. “How do commercials work?” a voiceover begins. “Well, you need a team of talented professionals, working together, focused on the task, doing all kinds of jobs.” The crew on the set—choreographer, boom operator, caterer, makeup artist and others—are identified by on-screen icons which, in the spot’s clickable version, let users search Indeed’s site for those jobs.
What’s more, these folks aren’t actors, but actual professionals (real choreographers, caterers, etc.) hired through Indeed for the spot. (The making-of clip below, which goes into detail on this process, is a must-see.) Even the talent being used to represent nurses, engineers, IT specialists and financial planners are actual trained members of those professions.
Admittedly, not all parts were truly cast through Indeed, since Mullen and other production partners like the directing collective StyleWar were already in place. Here’s how a Mullen spokesperson described the process:
“For the video part of the campaign, we used the Indeed platform to scout and hire creative and production talent. Indeed posted 26 job openings on its website for roles in the spot. Within 48 hours, 1,500 applications were received. Indeed conducted more than 200 interviews in just 14 days. Once a selection was made, industry professionals from six different countries—U.K., U.S., Canada, Czech Republic, Australia and Germany—traveled to Prague for filming and production.”
Beyond TV and digital video, coffee-cup wraps detail the jobs needed to bring java to market, while subway and newspaper ads explain the positions required by those industries.
Communicating aspirational themes and complex information is no easy task, but, overall, this campaign does a fine job of taking Indeed’s message to a higher level.
CREDITS Client: Indeed, Austin, Texas Senior Vice President, Marketing: Paul D’Arcy Vice President, Corporate Marketing: Mary Ellen Duggan
Agency: Mullen, Boston and San Francisco Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker Executive Creative Director: Paul Foulkes Group Creative Director, Copy: Tim Cawley Copywriter: E.B. Davis Copywriter: Jamie Rome Art Directors: Brooke Doner, Ryan Montgomery Designer: Mike Molinaro 3-D Artist, Concept Designer: Andy Jones Producer: Mary Donington
VIDEO CREDITS Production Company: Smuggler Director: StyleWar Editing Company: General Editorial Color Correction, Visual Effects, Titles: The Mill Audio Postproduction: Soundtrack Music: Madplanet
How does a popular job posting site show off the breadth of its help-wanted offerings in the limited space of one commercial? For Indeed, the answer was to use its own listings to hire experienced professionals for the ad's cast and crew.
"How the world works" is the theme delivered across TV, digital, print and other media in a rollout that began last week in the U.K., targeting both applicants and companies looking to hire. Bright, bouncy and upbeat, the initiative, crafted by Mullen, emphasizes teamwork and striving toward common goals.
A 50-second spot sets the tone, presenting an ad inside an ad with meta twists that turn the medium into the message.
We see folks from various professions "working" among huge letters that spell out the word I-n-d-e-e-d. The camera pulls back to reveal that the action is taking place on a soundstage where an ad is being filmed. "How do commercials work?" a voiceover begins. "Well, you need a team of talented professionals, working together, focused on the task, doing all kinds of jobs." The crew on the set—choreographer, boom operator, caterer, makeup artist and others—are identified by on-screen icons which, in the spot's clickable version, let users search Indeed's site for those jobs.
What's more, these folks aren't actors, but actual professionals (real choreographers, caterers, etc.) hired through Indeed for the spot. (The making-of clip below, which goes into detail on this process, is a must-see.) Even the talent being used to represent nurses, engineers, IT specialists and financial planners are actual trained members of those professions.
Admittedly, not all parts were truly cast through Indeed, since Mullen and other production partners like the directing collective StyleWar were already in place. Here's how a Mullen spokesperson described the process:
"For the video part of the campaign, we used the Indeed platform to scout and hire creative and production talent. Indeed posted 26 job openings on its website for roles in the spot. Within 48 hours, 1,500 applications were received. Indeed conducted more than 200 interviews in just 14 days. Once a selection was made, industry professionals from six different countries—U.K., U.S., Canada, Czech Republic, Australia and Germany—traveled to Prague for filming and production."
Beyond TV and digital video, coffee-cup wraps detail the jobs needed to bring java to market, while subway and newspaper ads explain the positions required by those industries.
Communicating aspirational themes and complex information is no easy task, but, overall, this campaign does a fine job of taking Indeed's message to a higher level.
CREDITS Client: Indeed, Austin, Texas Senior Vice President, Marketing: Paul D'Arcy Vice President, Corporate Marketing: Mary Ellen Duggan
Agency: Mullen, Boston and San Francisco Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker Executive Creative Director: Paul Foulkes Group Creative Director, Copy: Tim Cawley Copywriter: E.B. Davis Copywriter: Jamie Rome Art Directors: Brooke Doner, Ryan Montgomery Designer: Mike Molinaro 3-D Artist, Concept Designer: Andy Jones Producer: Mary Donington
VIDEO CREDITS Production Company: Smuggler Director: StyleWar Editing Company: General Editorial Color Correction, Visual Effects, Titles: The Mill Audio Postproduction: Soundtrack Music: Madplanet
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