MTV “Cribs” x MonsterTRAK = “The Opening” Reality Show

“The Opening,” will be sponsored by MonsterTRAK and will air on mtvU as well as mtvU’s broadband channel, MTV Über, starting Jan 25. See the press release here. I was just talking to Julian about how it would be interesting to think about ways to combine recruitment marketing with “product placement” to reach younger workers (along the lines of having a Fed-Ex guy be a character in video games for example). MTV and Monster take my idea to the next level by bringing recruitment straight into the Reality TV world. I honestly think that this type of approach will greatly appeal to the Generation Y’ers out there that grew up when MTV stopped showing videos and featured numerous reality shows and documentaries about the life of teenagers and 20 somethings. (Yahoo! HotJobs teamed up with “The Apprentice” - but the viewer didn’t really get a feel for what it would be like to work at the featured companies).

MTV Über is their 24/7 on-demand, streaming channel (incidently that doesn’t support Macs or FireFox). “The Opening” has archives that you can already view online at Über including episodes featuring EA Games and the NCAA. The show has a decidedly MTV’s Cribs feel about it.

Students will be invited to visit MonsterTRAK and mtvU’s comprehensive online jobs resource at http://www.jobs.mtvu.com/ after each episode, where they can immediately apply for jobs profiled on-air, along with other opportunities and internships. Much the way NACElink does, the partners will work with the career centers at mtvU’s more than 730 colleges, to provide their listings to students. The site is co-branded and will feature a selection of coveted job opportunities for recent graduates, interview advice, salary information, and a job of the week.

Maybe Monster.com could have a reality show targeting those at the middle stages of their career? How about - “Pimp my Job”?