Doing work to be proud of

It takes clever strategy to build a new twist into an existing campaign while staying true to an existing brand tone.

That's exactly what the Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town team did in collaboration with Egg Films on the latest installment of their Careers24 work.

It's all about finding a job you're passionate about so that facing the typical 'I've just met you so I'll ask what you do for a living' question doesn't put you in an embarrassing situation, leaving you an awkward, stuttering mess if you aren't proud of your career path so far.

See the examples below for proof:

Awkward, right? Nadia Boucher Coombe, head of marketing for 24.com and Tseliso Rangaka, executive creative director at Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town, let us in on the campaign's success...

Nadia Boucher Coombe, head of marketing for 24.com and Tseliso Rangaka, executive creative director at Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town

1. How did the 'not being proud of what you do is awkward' concept come about?

Rangaka: "So, what do you do for a living?" is a question that comes up all the time - it's a question we ask that allows us to quickly size someone up". But often it's a question that people dread, as they feel embarrassed about their jobs. We thought the awkwardness of someone trying to answer that question could lead to some great comedy.

2. That it did. Talk us through the intricacies of advertising something as serious as job-hunting, which affects everybody at some stage of their life, some repeatedly - in a humorous way.

Boucher Coombe: Careers24 is a functional platform that performs the serious task of connecting job seekers to their dream jobs. However, in order to attract jobseekers to the site, we needed to find a creative way of connecting with them on an emotional level. Well-placed humour is often the key to standing out in a cluttered advertising space, and who hasn't been in a situation where they've felt slightly awkward after being asked what they do for a living? The campaign aims to show the lighter side of this situation.

3. Ogilvy CT's MD, Luca Gallarelli, says the humour in these ads lies largely in the actors cast, as they accurately convey the shame we feel when we are not proud of what we do. How were the actors selected for the ads? Was it a similar 'auditioning/recruitment process' to that of finding a new job?

Rangaka: Luckily, we had months to cast our roles and went through numerous rounds of casting in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The process was pretty straightforward: the actors who made us laugh the most got the job.

4. Any advice for jobseekers who just can't get a break into the industry they love and constantly get the 'so, what do you do for a living' question?

Boucher Coombe: 'Never give up on finding the job that is right for you' is the obvious answer. There are plenty of things job seekers can constantly be doing to better their chances of getting hired for their dream job. Careers24 has a dedicated team of experts putting together career advice for job seekers such as CV and cover letter advice, interview tips, how to job hunt like a pro as well as managerial and career growth advice for those already in the job market, so visit the Careers24 career advice section.

Rangaka: Failing that, having a list of made-up, never-heard-of-before careers at the ready is also an option!

5. What has response been to the campaign so far?

Boucher Coombe: We've been tracking the response mainly through social media where we've also been advertising the commercials, and it has been overwhelmingly positive. People seem to especially resonate with the main character in the hospital scene. Because this is the second year we are rolling out the same creative concept with fresh ads, we knew that the humorous take on a sometimes serious situation would be well received. You can check out some of the live responses on Twitter.

Cheers to a campaign that Careers24 and Ogilvy can be proud of for hitting the mark with its intended audience.

Click here for more on Careers24 and here for more on Ogilvy.