CareerBuilder Picks Wieden

CHICAGO CareerBuilder.com has awarded creative and media duties on its $60 million advertising account to independent agency Wieden + Kennedy, the client has confirmed.

The account had been in review since the company parted with previous agency Cramer-Krasselt here.

"Wieden + Kennedy has a long tradition of breakthrough creative that resonates with targeted audiences and build lasting value for shareholders," said Richard Castellini, vp, consumer marketing at CareerBuilder in Chicago. "Their strategy captures the voice and brand personality of CareerBuilder. We are excited to be working with them in taking our brand to the next level."

The Portland Ore.-based shop prevailed in the final round over Havas' Arnold in Boston and two Chicago agencies: Interpublic Group's DraftFCB and Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett.

Executives at Wieden could not be reached for comment.

The job-search company, which is owned by a consortium of newspaper firms including Tribune Co. and Knight Ridder, parted with C-K in February. Sources have said the client was disappointed with its standings in the Ad Meter in USA Today following this year's Super Bowl.

The independent agency had crafted a series of spots that likened white-collar office existence to living in a jungle, with meetings and other activities depicted as traps and hazards. Of the three spots that aired during the game, the highest spot placed 16th on the newspaper's day-after poll.

Previous efforts from C-K showing a hapless man working in an office full of chimps [1] scored among USA Today's top 10 during the previous two years.

"We certainly don't think one poll builds a brand," said C-K CEO Peter Krivkovich in an internal memo issued to the agency after the shop and client parted. "We don't think that our tremendous results should be defined or denigrated by a measurement that everyone knows is not related to business success."

CareerBuilder has spent $60 million on ads in recent years, per TNS Media Intelligence.