Horrible print ad copy

Posted on April 23, 2007
Filed Under Advertising Mistakes, Job Fairs, Best Practices |

As I was browsing the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Sunday classifieds I ran across what is probably one of the worst ads I have seen:

Bad Ad Copy

What is wrong with it?

There is no company name
What booth should a job seeker visit
There is not a strong call to action
No employer branding
What if a jobseeker can not attend?
What positions will be offered?

This ad appears to do nothing but promote the Las Vegas Review Journal Career Fair. It tells candidates to come meet them at the career fair, but does not say where. It does not tell anyone what booth number they will be at. It does not state who the company is.

My gut tells me a savvy classified advertising rep from the Las Vegas Review Journal talked this employer into buying a large display ad to get the cheaper job fair booth at the career fair. The RJ does do a great job of getting their advertisers to spend more money to promote an event they are already attending.

Best Practices for “Job Fair Referral” Ads:

Brand your company - not the career fair
Design your own copy - do not allow the newspaper to do it
Tell the job seeker which booth you can be found at
Offer an incentive for a jobseeker to stop by your booth
Talk about the positions you will be hiring for
Offer the jobseeker who can not attend an avenue to get in touch with you. Whether that is an e-mail address, website, fax number or telephone number …. it is up to you.