Age-o-Matic uses new technology to age people's photos an average of 50 years, and then allows them to e-mail ancient talking versions of themselves to unsuspecting recipients. After uploading a photo, each visitor is asked to answer a few simple -- and utterly outrageous - questions about their work environment such as, "At work they call me: a) Hey You b) El Stupido or c) No. 655321." Age-o-Matic instantly produces jaw-dropping, dramatically-altered photos depicting how they will look if they stay in their current positions. They can send talking e-mail messages from their aged selves to friends, family, co-workers and, yes, even the boss.
From a technological standpoint, Age-o-Matic is a leap ahead of other photo manipulation sites. This is the first site to allow an uploaded photo to be aged, as well as integrated into talking avatar technology.
"With Age-o-Matic, we will continue to focus on the theme of job dissatisfaction, a potent message that has enabled CareerBuilder.com to connect with millions of consumers over the last two years," said Richard Castellini, Vice President of Consumer Marketing at CareerBuilder.com. "Age-o-Matic is an evolution of last year's online execution, actively engaging consumers in the brand while enabling them to have greater control over content and customization. We expect the experience to resonate well as workers re-evaluate and seek out new jobs in the New Year."
Age-o-Matic builds on the success of the critically-acclaimed Monk-e-Mail, which has logged more than 83 million plays, over 31 million user sessions and nearly 12 million unique visitors since its launch one year ago. Just as Monk-e-Mail is based on a common expression about work: "I work with a bunch of monkeys," Age-o-Matic is based on its own expression of dissatisfaction: "This job is going to kill me!"
"We've always known that bad jobs can make us ‘feel' old, and Age-o-Matic has created an environment where dissatisfied employees can actually ‘see' how their bad jobs are impacting them," said Marshall Ross, C-K's Chief Creative Officer. "This is the sweet spot of viral marketing because the entertainment value is high while still being a highly strategic fit for the CareerBuilder brand." According to a nationwide survey of 6,169 workers by CareerBuilder.com, one-in-five workers reported they plan to change jobs in 2007. When evaluating potential employers, workers cited a good work environment as one of the top three factors that are most critical to them.
About CareerBuilder.com CareerBuilder.com is the nation's largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.5 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 1,000 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 150 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 250,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 19 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic e-mail job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com.
About Cramer-Krasselt Rapidly growing Cramer-Krasselt is the third-largest independent agency in the United States, with billings exceeding $642 million in 2005. Several major new business wins have contributed to a 25 percent growth rate in 2006, catapulting annual billings to nearly $800 million. Frequently featured for its creativity, the agency is headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York, Milwaukee and Phoenix. The agency is on a creative winning streak this year that has notched two Gold and one silver Effie, two Bronze Lions, the 2005 Athena campaign of the year, recognition as one of three finalists for the O'Toole Award and the ADWEEK BUZZ Award lauding CareerBuilder.com's viral Monk-e-Mail campaign as the Best Overall "Buzz" Campaign of the Year. C-K's client list is representative of major brands across virtually every industry. They include: AirTran Airways, CareerBuilder.com, Cellular South, Corona Beer, EFFEN Vodka, H. J. Heinz Co., Hyatt Hotels, KeyBank Corp., Master Lock, R.H. Donnelley Yellow Pages, Spice Islands, Ski-Doo, Takeda Pharmaceuticals' Rozerem, Benjamin Moore, Brookstone, WellCare Health Plans and [yellow tail] wine. Cramer-Krasselt's public relations subsidiary, CKPR, is ranked among the nation's top 15 agencies. For more information, visit Cramer-Krasselt at http://www.c-k.com.
Cramer Krasselt Media Contact:
Susanna Homan
(P) 312-616-2371
(E) shoman@c-k.com
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com