SEEK Asia teases expansion plans, unveils hyperlocalised campaign

SEEK Asia, which owns platforms such as JobStreet and JobsDB, plans to grow fourfold within the next five years and expand its platforms' offerings; said Peter Bithos, CEO of SEEK Asia, “We are strengthening our existing business by making big investments in ​​people, innovation, and technology," he added.

To that end, SEEK Asia has launched a new omnichannel marketing campaign. Titled “Let’s Get To Work”, the campaign is a continuation of SEEK Asia’s brand evolution that began in late 2020, and aims to empower job seekers to go after careers they are passionate about. Additionally, the campaign comes as part of SEEK Asia’s plans to reposition JobStreet and JobsDB as more than just a job platform, but also as career and talent partners for both job seekers and hirers.

As part of the campaign, a promotional video will be rolled out across SEEK Asia’s six key markets - Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Hong Kong. The campaign also includes digital, OOH, social media and PR activations. 

Jane Cruz-Walker, CMO at SEEK Asia, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it will be launching several new materials over the next three to six months, which will continue to remain relevant for many more years to come. Additionally, there will be updates to the campaign every quarter, alongside new local activations. "Though our content is constantly evolving, our core mission will remain the same - that is to inspire and equip people to get to work and be the heroes in their own career journey," she said. SEEK Asia has declined to disclose the monetary value of the campaign.

The campaign also taps on the hyperlocal culture of each job market. In addition to releasing the promotional videos in the markets’ respective languages, SEEK Asia also collaborated with local influencers and key opinion leaders to drive engagement for its campaign. These include Singaporean actress Sharon Au, Malaysian stand-up comedian Harith Iskander, Indonesian vlogger Gerry Girianza, and Hong Kong fitness entrepreneur Charlz Ng. 

Additional activities will also be introduced to get local job seekers excited. In Indonesia, SEEK Asia will launch a hyperlocal activation telling the story of Roro Jonggrang - a popular Javanese legend - and how, in contrast, finding a job with SEEK Asia can be easy and drama-free.

Bithos said that the campaign will allow it to better engage with and inspire job seekers to find jobs that are meaningful to them. "Our appeal to job seekers will also allow us to get more employers on the platform looking for quality talent, allowing an explosion of opportunities. Let’s Get To Work is an integral part of SEEK Asia’s commitment to job seekers and employers, and this is just the beginning of our exciting developments and plans," he added.

According to a statement by SEEK Asia, the campaign comes on the back of rising unemployment rates in the region. At the same time, the pandemic saw a change in people’s attitudes towards their jobs, with many re-evaluating where and how they want to work, and the kind of work they want to do. This has led to the emerging trend known as the “great resignation”.

"Many employees now prefer doing jobs they love and that they are passionate about. Therefore, we believe companies need to fill these vacancies by providing not just good compensation, but great benefits too -- especially in areas such as upskilling and greater flexibility in hybrid work arrangements," Cruz-Walker said.

At the same time, the supply of jobs on SEEK Asia's platforms have more than doubled in recent months, with over 375,000 job vacancies across its six markets; partly due to the economic recovery across Asia. Through its campaign, the company hopes to see the number of job seekers grow by the same proportion as well, while also increasing its brands' awareness among 18 to 24-year-olds. "We are the first-choice job platform across Asia, but this is driven by our strong base of job seekers between 25-34 and we see opportunity for the younger demographic to catch-up," Cruz-Walker explained.

SEEK Asia worked with McCann Worldgroup on its latest campaign. It is working with Ogilvy and PRecious Communications for the campaign's social and PR activations respectively.

Cruz-Walker also explained that while the pandemic has caused widespread job loss, reduced working hours, and pay cuts, it has also caused many to re-evaluate what they want out of their career. “Job seekers’ demands have evolved beyond remuneration — they want a sense of fulfilment, good work-life balance, and career progression — and it is time for companies to adapt to this new world of work. By providing job seekers with opportunities to find jobs that they are passionate about, we want to be the career partner that will inspire the next generation of workers and empower them to be the heroes in their own career journey,” she added.

Furthermore, SEEK Asia plans to launch the biggest tech career fair in Asia in 2022, which aims to accelerate digital transformation efforts by providing more opportunities for job seekers to secure roles in companies driven by technology. It aims to match thousands of tech job opportunities to hundreds of thousands of candidates during the fair. 

Separately, Indeed Singapore's recruitment trends, released in March this year, revealed that as at the end of February, the number of job listings in all categories and occupations was said to be up 19.2% from their level on 1 February 2020, after adjusting for seasonal trends. However, despite the optimistic outlook on recruitment trends in Singapore, marketing was found to be one of the worst performing sectors when it came to job postings. Meanwhile, there was an increase in digital marketing roles across most industries in Malaysia, with a majority of companies increasing their advertising budget for digital marketing since the pandemic, according to Michael Page.

At the same time, Indonesia witnessed a 20% to 25% increase in job opportunities for marketing, advertising and PR this year, compared to Q3 2020. The marketing and advertising scene saw a shift in demand towards digital-fused skills with data-driven skills, including digital marketing, digital media strategist, online marketing, internet marketing, and performance marketing.

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