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Why ZipRecruiter embraced advertising during a presidential election

A campaign running during CNN election coverage highlights the importance of finding the right candidate for any job.
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ZipRecruiter

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Some brands might seek to avoid advertising against election-related content due to brand-safety concerns, but not ZipRecruiter.

The job search platform teamed up with Warner Bros. Discovery’s in-house brand studio, Courageous Studios, to develop a campaign designed to complement CNN’s election coverage. The campaign includes 15- and 30-second spots that are airing during breaks in coverage on CNN’s linear network; it also includes digital display ads on CNN.com. It went live on October 28 and will run through November.

“A lot of advertisers traditionally shy away from elections,” Paul Sundue, VP and creative director at Courageous, said. “Big live events like elections, celebrations, and sports are more tantalizing than ever for advertisers looking to make a splash.”

Best foot forward: One ad features shots of the US Capitol building, traditional office workers, a building construction crew, an auto mechanic, and others. It focuses on the importance of finding the right candidate for any job, whether for elected office or elsewhere. It ends with the narrator’s commentary: “If only every decision could be this easy.”

“They came to us to try to help co-develop an interesting way in that wasn’t deep in the weeds of particular issues,” Sundue said. “We took the angle [that], for any organization, the right hire is of key importance. So we co-created a spot that emphasizes that. Whether your office is cubicle-sized or the Oval Office, talent and leadership are themes that are universal to any organization.”

Extra, extra! Running ads on news channels like CNN is a “great way” for ZipRecruiter to reach both employers and job seekers, ZipRecruiter CMO Monika Shah said. In addition to TV ads, Shah said that podcasting and social ads are an important part of ZipRecruiter’s overall marketing strategy.

“In this particular case, we felt that the time and message, with the current election season, was just a great way to engage with consumers…And it was important to us to make the ad relatable, regardless of political affiliation,” Shah said.

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