I don't envy new grads trying to break into marketing and advertising. The intense competition for entry-level jobs is apparently forcing our next generation of leaders to humiliate themselves for the right to do menial tasks. Advertising Week created an entire entertainment program out of it, making would-be creatives jump through hoops for the promise of a 30-day freelance gig at entry-level pay. Now, unsurprisingly, public relations is getting in on the act. Eisen Marketing Group, which bills itself as "Cincinnati's largest PR firm," is holding a reality-TV-style competition to hire a single "PR rockstar." Recent grads apply at the Eisen Web site for the honor of being one of a dozen contestants subjected to three weeks of "PR hell" starting in January. Naturally, the humiliation will be aired as Webisodes that Eisen says will follow in the tradition of The Apprentice and Survivor. I imagine one of the challenges will be to find the most creative way to say, "I'm calling to follow up on an e-mail I sent you." The winner gets a paid internship. I can't help but wonder if these kinds of stunts, which arise out of a crappy economy and high unemployment rate, breed resentment from serious candidates looking to build careers.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Previously on AdFreak:
The Big Ad Gig offers hope to the desperate