Monster.com Pitches "Millionaire" Crowd

Monster.com, the online job site whose 1999 Super Bowl ad helped build its brand, is putting out a call to all would-be millionaires.

The company, the flagship brand of TMP Worldwide will debut a new ad campaign Tuesday during ABC’s wildly successful game show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

According to Monster.com, the new spot, titled “Ted’s Resume,” focuses on job seeker who posts his resume on the site, sits back and watches job offers flood in — all while network news anchors and his neighbors await his decision.

The 30-second spot is also slated to air during the Olympics, the Emmy Awards and the U.S. Open.

“We wanted to emphasize that Monster isn’t just a place to look for jobs. It’s a place where jobs look for you,” said Edward Boches, chief creative officer at Mullen, the Massachusetts ad agency that created the commercial.

Mullen created Monster.com’s 1999 Super Bowl ad. Shot in black and white, the tongue-in-cheek spot featured children delivering memorable lines such as, “When I grow up, I want to be in middle management.”

This year’s campaign, which also debuted around Super Bowl time, was not as highly-regarded by industry observers, including boston.internet.com. It featured black and white images of young urbanites walking by the main character, reciting the lines of Robert Frost’s classic poem, “The Road Less Traveled.” In response to critics, Monster.com said the ad effectively drove traffic.

Mullen’s future with Monster.com was put in question in July when the firm said it would hold a competitive review of agencies for its $75 million to $90 million U.S. ad account.

Monster.com denies dissatisfaction with the agency and CEO Jeff Taylor cited a “successful and productive partnership” with Mullen. The review is being led by Pile and Company of Boston.

Monster.com, which in addition to ads has bought a blimp a la Goodyear to promote its name, had 15.3 million unique visits in July, according to research conducted by I/PRO.