Eye-catching \u2018slave\u2019 ad in Facebook hit and could also help firm get the type of employee it wants<\/p>\n
ABERCROMBIE & Fitch wanted good-looking people. NTUC Income ran recruitment advertisements looking for- among other heroes-Charlie\u2019s Angles and James Bonds.<\/p>\n
Mr Joshua-Uriel Leong decided he needed something else: A slave.<\/p>\n
The general manager of Conticomponents Asia, a company that distributes bicycle components, is looking to expand its network of dealers.<\/p>\n
So he posted a job ad in last Friday\u2019s CATS Classified section in The Straits Times.<\/p>\n
The ad reads: \u201cYou should be shameless and fearless\u2026and like to suck up to your own bosses to succeed in this role. Must have own horse\u2026we provide the fodder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Applicants should also have at least two years of \u201ctalking cock experience\u201d.<\/p>\n
And as a kicker, the ad cheekily concluded: \u201cWe would certainly tell your boss you applied\u201d.<\/p>\n
A photo of the ad found its way onto Facebook last Friday and has since gone viral.<\/p>\n
The ad was Mr Leong\u2019s idea. He told The New Paper, in an e-mail that he had wanted to shock readers, \u201cprovoke their thoughts and evoke their emotions\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said the ad\u2019s tone helped to draw readers\u2019 attention and was cost-effective in increasing publicity for the company.<\/p>\n
Mr Leong said: \u201cSlaves work for food. You work for money to buy food. Is there any difference between a slave and you?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not hard for me to find staff. The ad\u2019s tone is just more reflective of my own personality, as I am a creative person.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked what the person hired would actually be doing, Mr Leong referred us back to the ad.<\/p>\n
To date, he had received 13 applications, but has yet to decide who will be his \u201cslave\u201d.<\/p>\n
It may certainly be creative, but could it also be offensive?<\/p>\n
Mr Leong said that 98 per cent of the feedback he has received over Facebook has been positive, while the head of CATS Classifieds, Ms Tan Su-lin, said there have also been no negative reports on the ad so far.<\/p>\n
She told TNP: \u201cOur first instinct was to call them back to re-word the ad copy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we decided to let the ad run as it is, because to modify parts of the copy would result in diluting the very creativity that underpins the whole ad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe trusted that readers, especially the adult-readers who turn to our recruitment pages, would be able to share the humour, intelligence and wit that we saw clearly in the ad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re keeping our fingers crossed that Singaporeans are now a more sophisticated lot, with the ability to accept and appreciate such humour and wit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Leong\u2019s move was applauded by human resource companies TNP spoke to.<\/p>\n
\u2018It stands out\u2019<\/p>\n
Ms Joanne Chua, the manager of human resources and supply chain divisions at recruitment firm Robert Walters, said that the ad was bold and eye-catching, stood out from other advertisements, and would draw \u201ca certain type of unique job candidate that the employer may be looking for\u201d.<\/p>\n
Advertising, media and social media companies are more likely to run such unconventional ads than others, and these companies usually hire staff who are \u201catypical, non run-of-the-mill types, she added.<\/p>\n
Ms Cheryl Mah, from the marketing team of Adecco Singapore, felt the ad shows that the hiring company has a sense of humour.<\/p>\n
Mr Joshua Yim, the chief executive of JCG Search International, added: \u201cIt also communicates to the public that the company has a hip, bohemian culture, and likes those who can think out of the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the same human resources companies acknowledged that the ad might not be everybody\u2019s cup of tea.<\/p>\n
Ms Chua also said that the ad might scare some applicants off, while Ms Mah said that some readers could see it as negative or rude.<\/p>\n
Added Mr Yim: \u201cThose who are serious or conservative might not take the ad seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Facebook users have shared the link to the photo at least 400 times since Friday.<\/p>\n
One netizen said: \u201cThis is guts\/creativity\/humour that many \u2018Silli\u2019poreans\u2019 lack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source: The New Paper, 28 September 2011<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eye-catching \u2018slave\u2019 ad in Facebook hit and could also help firm get the type of employee it wants ABERCROMBIE & Fitch wanted good-looking people. NTUC Income ran recruitment advertisements looking for- among other heroes-Charlie\u2019s Angles and James Bonds. Mr Joshua-Uriel Leong decided he needed something else: A slave. The general manager of Conticomponents Asia, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[24],"yoast_head":"\n