Napoleon Dynamite encourages Aussies to put their skills to work in new campaign via Adhesive

Australian employment marketplace SEEK has teamed up with Hollywood actor Jon Heder to resurrect the iconic character Napoleon Dynamite in a parody of a 90s style infomercial that encourages Aussies to identify their sweet skills via Adhesive.

 

Heder, who is best known for his leading role in the 2004 comedy film Napoleon Dynamite, shows how Australians can uncover and understand their skills using SEEK Career Advice in order to step up and stand out at work – just like Napoleon did for Pedro.

Says Jon Heder: “Napoleon Dynamite shows off his sweet drawing and dancing skills to help him get a date to the high school prom. I’ve teamed up with SEEK because I wanted to show Aussies how they can channel their inner Napoleon and use everyday experiences to help them further their career or turn a passion into a profession… Like being a Liger Tamer.

“If your nunchuck and bowhunting skills aren’t up to scratch, you can head to SEEK Career Advice to discover your top skills and explore where they can take you.”

According to research from SEEK, 3 out of 4 (77%) Aussies think it’s important to understand how transferable their skills are to other jobs or industries. However, only 51% are satisfied with the resources available to help them learn where their skills can take them.

SEEK Career Advice is SEEK’s latest innovation in skills technology. The platform helps Australians discover their skills and identifies how they can be put to work by finding the right job, progressing their career, or providing career change ideas.

Says Babi Kahveci, head of brand and marcomms at SEEK: “We’ve seen how important it is to understand the breadth of your skills when it comes to looking for a new role, however Australians don’t know how to identify the skills that they’ve learnt throughout their careers. We teamed up with Jon Heder to bring back an iconic character to show how Aussies can use SEEK Career Advice to discover their skills and put them to work.

“This is a creative first for SEEK’s newly created Shared & Earned division, which focuses on driving talkability and shareability for our brand. To have impact, we leaned into the lighter side of our brand personality traits to create an unexpected, fun and engaging campaign. What’s more unexpected from an employment brand than reprising the role of an awkward and endearing high schooler and mashing it up with the 90’s infomercial trope?”

Adhesive, who is the retained public relations agency for SEEK ANZ, was tasked to develop and produce a creative campaign that could carve out a unique space for SEEK and speak directly to the appeal of SEEK Career Advice.

Says Alexander Masson, creative director at Adhesive: “We wanted to create a campaign that showcased SEEK’s fun and playful brand voice while also highlighting how easy it can be to identify your skills using SEEK Career Advice. At Adhesive, we create culturally relevant ideas that resonate with many audiences and this campaign definitely speaks to that.

“Napoleon Dynamite is synonymous with skills, confidence and believing in yourself. He works as a cultural touchpoint that allows us to cut through the clutter and directly pitch SEEK Career Advice to consumers, whilst still entertaining them.

“People instantly recognise the character and, hopefully with this campaign, start identifying with him, thanks to SEEK.”

The parody of the 90’s-style infomercial featuring the character Napoleon Dynamite will be seen across digital and owned channels. For more information or to discover your top skills and see how they can be put to work, please head to SEEK Career Advice.

SEEK
Babi Kahveci, Head of Brand & Marcomms
Holly Arrowsmith, Marketing Manager – Shared & Earned
Carly Robinson, Marketing Manager – Campaigns
Maddie Hoare – Senior Marketing Associate – Campaigns
Estrella Finney – Marketing Manager – Brand

Adhesive
Michael Maurice, Managing Director
Alexander Masson, Creative Director
Jayne Ellis, Senior Account Director
Barton Zaia, Account Director
Chris Leben, Producer

Production Partner, Airbag
Craig Melville – Director
David Curry – Airbag Producer
Stephen McDaniel – Airbag Producer (Portland)
Eric Edwards – Director of Photography
David Sicotte – Art Director
Jonah Oskow – Editor
Casey Wescott – Composer