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WTF are they smoking over at TheLadders?

Feb 02, 2011 / Product & App Reviews / Trackback

I’m an open minded hip 2011 kind of HR practitioner but I am dismayed that an organization that touts itself as the place for leaders to find their next opportunity has made a commercial advertisement not dissimilar to the “sketchy comedy” video that recently rocked the Navy and violates every employee handbook ever written by putting cheap jokes before decorum and dignity.

In the job search, you gotta show employers what you got. – TheLadders

If sexual innuendos salty with partial nudity, inappropriate touching of oneself and others in the workplace and potentially hazardous behavior by climbing on furniture and dancing on desks  make oneself more attractive to employers is the message TheLadders purports to convey – they have succeeded.

If TheLadders made this commercial using the same psychological ploy a child does to commit inappropriate acts to gain attention – because any attention is attention,  they have succeeded.

I can’t support propaganda that goes against the very principles of professionalism and dignity that are the cornerstone of my career. I got where I am because of my professional competencies and verifiable accomplishments – not because I laid on a boardroom table with a skirt on lifting my leg in the air while caressing myself.

If TheLadders thinks this is cool hip and fun then call me a prude – but as soon as I hit the publish button on this post I’m canceling my subscription, because I no longer have respect for their on the job behavior…


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Responses

Trisha McFarlane
Feb 03, 2011 at 12:09 AM

Proud of you for taking a stand! Way to go Karla.


Karla Porter
Feb 03, 2011 at 12:21 AM

Thanks Trish. I signed up for their new Passport account the other day, and I have been quoted on their site twice in their blog but I'm not a hypocrite. I canceled the account and when it asked me to fill in the field with why I was canceling I entered the URL to this post.


Brenda L.
Feb 03, 2011 at 3:05 AM

Karla,

You are right about: “If The­Lad­ders made this com­mer­cial using the same psy­cho­log­i­cal ploy a child does to com­mit inap­pro­pri­ate acts to gain atten­tion — because any atten­tion is atten­tion, they have succeeded.” Those were my same thoughts when I saw it.

I plan to take a survey of my sons and their friends to gain a perspective on what they think about it. Two of them are advertising majors, so this should be interesting.


Karla Porter
Feb 03, 2011 at 3:11 AM

Brenda – Please come back to report on what the findings are! As far as I'm concerned they lost credibility with this stunt – it does nothing to enhance the perception that they understand the needs of executives.


Krista OgburnFrancis
Feb 03, 2011 at 1:22 PM

Maybe they thought they could get away with it because they included so many men in the ad?


Karla Porter
Feb 03, 2011 at 1:27 PM

Brilliant observation Krista – That way the few women who were in it can look even seedier and whoriffic.


JasonCBlais
Feb 03, 2011 at 1:33 PM

Karla, kudos to you for putting your values and ideals on display and in to action. This does reek of desperation while at the same time hinting at a serious misunderstanding of the market this business serves. Coming from a branding background, I do understand that it's easier, cheaper, and faster to make a splash by being funny/provocative. That being said, it doesn't always mean it's the best option for every business. Watching this video as an HR/Recruiting business partner, I can't help but question what audience this will actually attract to the pool of candidates within the Ladders. It doesn't appear to be targeting professional, respectful, serious professionals, and if it's not, than who is it targeting?


Karla Porter
Feb 03, 2011 at 1:52 PM

Thanks for the visit and comment Jason – Agreed 100% – I love good humor too but this can only be targeting desperate people because no one else would take it seriously or without offense. The chance of that type of individual gaining employment at one of the over $100k jobs they pride themselves in posting seems contradictory to the image TheLadders usually tries to portray.


jnykolai
Feb 03, 2011 at 2:28 PM

I agree with Krista's observation. I'm also curious if the Ladders feels that because there's a perception of diversity in the ad (asians, men, women, various shapes-sizes and looks) that this would be more acceptable by the general public?


Karla Porter
Feb 03, 2011 at 4:34 PM

jnykolai – There's nothing worse and more transparent than when you see an advertisement modeled after United Nations, trying to be PC. I can just hear the casting director screaming, “Hey, we need an Asian female over here on the table!”…


ellenlebowitz
Feb 03, 2011 at 5:00 PM

Yeah – tacky. Reminds me of everything I read about Scores before it was shut down.


Nick Corcodilos
Feb 03, 2011 at 7:36 PM

Karla, Nice to see HR speak up about TheLadders' behavior. Trouble is, they will chalk the complaints about the ad up as a “learning experience” with their advertising firm. The bigger trouble is, the ad really does reflect the company's attitude about job hunting and hiring. It's about FLUFF. Like Marc Cenedella's regular e-mails to his “members,” FLUFF.

In the end, what matters most is voting with your wallet. Kudos to you for canceling. My own blog audience complains that it's different with them. When they try to cancel, Ladders keeps billing them, because apparently there is a clause buried in the “agreement” that says a member agrees to recurring monthly billing… and by the time many realize what's happened, Ladders' policy is NO REFUNDS. So check your statements.


Karla Porter
Feb 03, 2011 at 8:24 PM

Nick – Could be I was fortunate enough to only have signed up for their free Passport account – but I no longer even want their free stuff. I'll be honest, I have never found the need to pay for a premium service to be a successful recruiter but I feel for those who pay in good faith for a service and then get the run around and don't receive spectacular customer service . Thanks for stopping by and commenting!


Tracy Brisson
Feb 03, 2011 at 8:50 PM

Good for you and great post. I've never used The Ladders, but always had a general idea it would be a good resource for me if I decided entrepreneurship was not for me and I wanted to go back into corporate. But I find these ads so offensive, I am not sure why a potential user of their services (on the recruiter or job-seeker side) would take their service seriously. Bad. Business. Decision.


Karla Porter
Feb 03, 2011 at 10:28 PM

Tracy – I needed a whole post to say what you did in 3 words “Bad. Business. Decision.” – Thanks for stopping by!


Laurie Ruettimann
Feb 03, 2011 at 10:31 PM

Let's get a chubby white guy, an asian, a black woman, and a white woman with glasses. None of them blonde. Put them in ugly business clothes. YES! THIS IS A BRILLIANT IDEA!


Shennee Rutt
Feb 04, 2011 at 12:19 AM

My opinion is : It was a “disgustingly Inappropriate” ad. Not even for late night tv. Way to go Karla. for calling The Ladders out on the carpet.


Karla Porter
Feb 04, 2011 at 2:46 AM

Laurie – I would love to know who did the creative on this.


Karla Porter
Feb 04, 2011 at 2:50 AM

Shennee – Let's call it for what it is, B roll executive soft porn (especially those 2 guys crawling over one another)… Maybe OK for late night, but not for a commercial about an executive job board.


marenhogan
Feb 04, 2011 at 3:31 AM

http://tpdsaa.tumblr.com/


Karla Porter
Feb 04, 2011 at 9:00 AM

Jan 26 Maren


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Publicity You Can’t Buy: How The Ladders Ad Has People in a Tizzy
Feb 09, 2011 at 1:27 AM

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Professional Search
Feb 09, 2011 at 1:33 AM

Kudos Karla, my take on this nasty thing is that it is supposed to have a subliminal appeal to people who are more challenged than the average bear at finding 100K positions. Minority, unattractive, overweight, gay. So the ladders is sending the message that we can make you irresitible and attractive. That's just sick.

I used the Ladders prior to 2008, cancelled because i found that a great number of resumes were far out of date, people whom we tired to contact did not respond. When we tracked them down they had long ago changed jobs and had tried to remove their profiles but they had not been removed. They were irritated that they were being contacted by recruiters from an online resume that was over three years old.

I received the passport invitation. Sent them a note back that they could not pay me to use the Ladders after that obnoxious, sleazy commercial and i would advise any job seeker to stay away from them.

Interestingly in late Nov. and December i received two resumes forwarded to me from the Ladders. How nice. The only problem was that they were in response to a job posting from 2007 that of course was long since filled and gone. I sent notes to both candidates letting them know that we no longer used the Ladders and that the position was only posted in 2007. One wrote back and said he had never used the Ladders and didn't know how they got his resume. Maybe they are board scraping resumes as well as jobs to lure people back. It's my understanding that they have had big turnover at the executive level and business is circling the drain. I sincerely hope this ad pulls the plug for good so 24 year old kids are not giving career advice to 100K up experienced candidates. What a sham.

I am embarassed for those people who made fools of themselves by doing that ad. Who would do a thing like that and who would continue to employ them after they did. Certainly would not be me. The Ladders was off my list long ago but with this disgusting ad i will go out of my way to tell candidates to stay away from them.


Guest
Feb 09, 2011 at 3:36 PM

I'm glad to see others are not happy with TheLadders campaign. I asked a bunch of friends (in their 40's and early 50's) if they saw it and they loved it. I don't get it. If you watched the super bowl, we had cats and dogs driving cars and that is the reason to buy the car, it is dog tested. What does that tell you about the car as a product? Performance, etc. This is a dumming down of the consumer. It flashes, it dances, its provocative, but it doesn't tell me anything about what it is I'm buying into. And unfortunately, people buy into it. TheLadders commercial is trashy and I think it deminishes its purpose and reputation.


Guy
Feb 09, 2011 at 3:48 PM

WTF? What does that mean?


Guest
Feb 09, 2011 at 3:49 PM

You are just stupid. Deal with it.


Guy
Feb 09, 2011 at 4:04 PM

I don't think Dumming is a word. Maybe its working.


Karla Porter
Feb 09, 2011 at 4:31 PM

Very well put Sandra. I was similarly dismayed yesterday when I saw an ad on a blog of someone well known in the career blogosphere that was a pic of a voluptuous mouth being caressed with a phallic lipstick asking “Are you attractive enough?” Puke………… why all of a sudden is attractive candidate being equated with this kind of garbage? It's inappropriate. Why not just turn the clock back to 1950's secretarys sitting on their bosses laps.


Karla Porter
Feb 09, 2011 at 4:40 PM

Trashy agreed.


Karla Porter
Feb 09, 2011 at 4:49 PM

Guest: What is this little argument going on here? Do you two know each other?


Elissa Wolf
Feb 09, 2011 at 4:54 PM

Karla, Thank you for expressing so articulately and on point. Bravo!!!!


Karla Porter
Feb 09, 2011 at 4:55 PM

Guy: Why are you and Guest spatting on my website? Spelling errors are very common, don't you think you are being a tad harsh with Guest? “Dumbing down” is an absolutely acceptable phrase http://www.wordiq.com/definiti….


Karla Porter
Feb 09, 2011 at 5:01 PM

Thanks for the comment Elissa – we need to be strong and stand up to people putting messages in our faces. Let's hope they get the message.


Guy
Feb 09, 2011 at 5:35 PM

WTF? Don't you think you taking TheLadders commercial a little to seriously. I for one have heard plenty of stories about peoples lives being changed due to finding their next great opportunity/career through TheLadders. For all of you who would not use a site due to their branding and marketing even if you know it works, you need to stop acting all high and mighty. Actually dont. 1 less person to compete with in this volitile job market.


Karla Porter
Feb 09, 2011 at 5:57 PM

I don't think I am taking the commercial too seriously at all. The “sex sells” approach in regard to marketing placement services and being an attractive candidate is irresponsible.

Additionally – from the stories I hear, I'm not so sure it's that great of a product. I have been in this field a long time and your comment “I have heard plenty of stories about peoples lives being changed due to finding their next great opportunity/career through TheLadders” sounds suspiciously like you may have skin in the game.

High and mighty Guy? I don’t think anyone is acting that way here. However, I could understand how a bigoted redneck could interpret it that way. Lucky for you I have an open posting policy. I know a lot of bloggers who would never allow your rudeness on their site.

By the way – most of my readers are not job seekers, they are employment professionals. Probably a good thing you have concealed your identity.


Guy
Feb 09, 2011 at 6:07 PM

Bigoted Redneck? Aren't you from Wilkes Barre? How am I bigoted? Because I don't agree with the things that you are writing? And I do have “skin in the game”. I found my job through the ladders. In terms of “sex sells”, the individuals in the commercial aren't models. Are you attracted to them? Karla, think about the message before blogging. And to be quite honest I am not a huge fan of the commercial but I am certainly not going to take myself out of the 100K+ job market due to it.


pink_elephant
Feb 09, 2011 at 6:18 PM

As someone who has used the Ladders and working in the HR space I think the Ad communicates what it should. Too often job seekers and candidates spend too much time dressing up their resumes, picking a suit and and in general go about a job search in a slightly misguided manner. Being that we have an over 9% unemployment rate, desperation often also plays a role in their job search.

Taking that idea and extrapolating it is what this commercial is about. Letting job seekers know that there is a place that can actually work with them as people individually working with real humans as opposed to 'resume upload 1 million and 1' I think is a good thing. To apply all the stereotypes that seem to be applied below portrays exactly the issues with the HR community in general. Maybe the commercial is not about diversity, or workplace impropriety or body image; maybe, it's just about what it shows: Persons unsure of how to go about a job search and needing guidance.

extrapolating it is what I think this


Karla Porter
Feb 09, 2011 at 6:46 PM

Guy – You see, there you go again… I'm from Wilkes-Barre ____________ (fill in the blank with your favorite stereotype). I never said “no one” ever had results with TheLadders. I said their approach is in my view misdirected and I canceled my free RECRUITER account not job seeker account. I'll happily find my candidates elsewhere. Thanks for the visit and comments – our conversation is over.


Jdfpittgrad
Feb 09, 2011 at 6:54 PM

Goodbye everyone. Karla and I have finished our conversation. Make sure to check out this article on this topic as well. http://www.tlnt.com/2011/02/08…

It is actually pretty interesting


Karla Porter
Feb 09, 2011 at 7:13 PM

Pink – I don't disagree with you on what the commercial is “supposed to” mean or their extrapolation. It's about how it was done. I don't agree that what the commercial shows is “persons unsure of how to go about a job search and needing guidance. Tun down the volume and that's not apparent at all. It's just a bunch of normal white collar peeps acting inappropriately in an office.


Anil
Feb 10, 2011 at 7:08 AM

Cheesy seems to have been the mantra at the superbowl. Karla you nailed it, the AD does not represent the demographics Ladders is serving.


Anil
Feb 10, 2011 at 7:13 AM

Cheesy seems to have been the mantra at the Superbowl. Karla you nailed it, the AD does not represent the demographics Ladders is serving.
2010 was year of Kim Kardashian and Jersey Shore, folks are talking leaf out of their books, at-least they were original? How far would you go to drive traffic? where is the class?


guest
Feb 11, 2011 at 11:08 AM

your use of the acronym WTF is not very subtle and completely hypocritical. in the end your use of WTF is intended to capture attention which it has -good for you. but dont then throw stones at theladders. stop the sanctimony. your motives are transparent.


Karla Porter
Feb 11, 2011 at 11:26 AM

Paddy – Please enlighten me as to what my “motives” are. I have no problem at all with TheLadders or any other company capturing attention, it's what they do with it once they have it. You crack me up with your use of sanctimony. I simply don't respect the use of provocativeness of the commercial in regard to professionalism… and if you read all the comments, I'm not the only one.


Nick Corcodilos
Feb 11, 2011 at 2:42 PM

@guest: Using WTF is not very subtle? Your entire comment could be addressed to TheLadders, eh? “Sex sells” in Ladders' commercials — not very subtle. “Completely hypocritical” — TheLadders sells “exclusive” job listings, while Marc Cenedella admits more than half the jobs on Ladders are scraped from other “free” job boards. “Capture attention”? Sleazy job applicants sliding across desks… TheLadders is being congratulated for state-of-the-art sex commercials by the “industry experts” it has paid off (http://corcodilos.com/blog/272…). Sanctimony? Go read what TheLadders' “mercenary army” is saying about TheLadders' critics.

Karla's post is dead-on, honest, and colloquial. I've called the ladders a pig, a pimp, and a liar. How's that? There is nothing subtle about the hordes of Ladders customers who pay for the service and cry fraud. And they ask, “WTF?”

Karla's motives seem quite transparent: She's outing a fraud. What have you done for the world today?


Karla Porter
Feb 11, 2011 at 4:11 PM

Nick – I'm going to print your comment and hang it in my office. I have the sneaky suspicion that some of the comments by anonymous posters I see sprinkled around the cyberverse defending TheLadders, the commercial, and in particular commenting on my blog post, are inside jobs..


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