Monster.com Tries a New Television Advertising Style

Monster.com is joining the ranks of advertisers of cooking gadgets and exercise machines, making its first foray into the world of direct response television with “The Monster Show.”

The 30-minute program, created for the TMP Worldwide division by the Frederiksen Group, will debut Friday on the Learning Channel and appear 245 times during the month of December on national cable networks and local network affiliates. Spending for the campaign wasn’t disclosed.

“Monster.com is revolutionizing the way companies brand themselves. With The Monster Show, we are taking our message to a vast national audience, into homes across America,” said Jeff Taylor, chief executive officer of Monster.com.

“As a pioneer in the new economy, we are excited to use television programming to show both employers and job seekers the power of Monster.com in bringing together qualified job seekers and great employment opportunities into one easy-to-use site.”

This is the first entry by a major Internet marketer into the direct response TV arena, a world now dominated by advertisers hawking exercise machines and the latest cooking gadget. But the Fredericksen Group’s founder and chief executive officer hopes Monster.com won’t be the last.

“I believe that we will see more dot-com companies begin to follow Monster.com’s lead in this innovative advertising medium,” he said.

The program will seek to convince viewers of the benefits of using Monster.com, though the testimonials of individuals who have gotten better jobs through using the service. One man describes using a terminal in a public library to find a retail management position on Monster.com, and says it was an “amazing experience.”

The show will also give step-by-step instructions on how to use the Monster.com service, from setting up an account to building a resume, to searching for jobs.

Monster.com has been considered one of the Internet’s leading offline marketers, as it was one of the first to advertise on the Super Bowl. The series of television spots that debuted at the game — the “When I grow up” ads — were widely acclaimed.