The new ‘Dream Jobs’ – How Companies are Attracting Consumers

The other day, as I scrolled through my Facebook feed as I usually do once a day, I came across this article from KTLA 5 News: “Reynolds Wrap Seeks Someone to Eat Ribs and Travel Around the U.S. – for $5,000 a Week.” As soon as I read the headline, I knew this would be the subject for my blog post – especially because I remembered seeing a similar article months back, but for a different ‘dream job’. 

The Reynolds Wrap website describes the “job” position as a “Chief Grilling Officer” whose purpose is to find the best BBQ ribs in the U.S.A. In two weeks, this person will visit various BBQ places and is required to have an online presence throughout the process by sharing photos, tips, etc., both on the Reynolds Wrap website and on their own social media accounts. In addition, as the news headline stated, there is a $10K stipend ($5K/week) and not only that, but pre-paid travel and lodging for the person AND a friend. Only a 200-word essay required to enter.

In a similar move, and only a few months before the Reynolds Wrap dream job, CableTV.com announced their “Marvel Movie Marathon Dream Job” opening. Similarly to the Reynolds Wrap job, this chosen person (who also had to write a 200-word essay) got paid ($1K + additional rewards such as Blu-Ray copies of the movies) for binge-watching 20 Marvel movies, and live tweeting and tagging CableTV.com while watching each movie. CableTV.com launched this right before Avengers: Endgame was due to come out in theaters.

Reading about both of these situations makes me wonder if this is the new tactic to attract young people who are clearly more invested in social media and their online presence. If you think about it, both of these companies are probably getting more than they are paying out, in free advertising. What are your thoughts on this tactic? Has anyone else seen any other company do something similar to this?

References:

Frost, B. (2019). The Marvel marathon dream job. Retrieved from https://www.cabletv.com/blog/marvel-movie-marathon-dream-job

KTLA 5. (2019). Reynolds Wrap seeks someone to eat ribs and travel around the U.S. – for $5,000 a week. Retrieved from https://ktla.com/2019/06/17/reynolds-wrap-seeks-someone-to-eat-ribs-and-travel-the-country-for-5000-a-week/

Reynolds Kitchens. (2019). 2019 Chief Grilling Officer. Retreived from https://www.reynoldskitchens.com/2019-chief-grilling-officer/