Job search website LinkedIn has unveiled the company’s first television commercial set to air during the Academy Awards; the ad is within a bigger strategy that will include print, digital and social.
In its debut TVC, LinkedIn’s CEO Jeff Weiner does the voiceover work and the video footage was provided by NASA.
The inspiration for the commercial came from a job ad posted by NASA on the website looking for the next astronaut. LinkedIn found that up to three million of its US members actually qualified for the position.
“The astronaut is a universal symbol of a dream job,” LinkedIn’s marketing vice president Nick Bartle said. “At the core of the story is empowerment. Many people think these careers are unattainable. We exist to help them achieve that level of professional attainment.”
Want to see the world? @NASA is hiring an astronaut & ~3M U.S. LinkedIn members qualify: https://t.co/m4ha87Esdb pic.twitter.com/tDX0lKHEyU
— LinkedIn (@LinkedIn) December 14, 2015
LinkedIn’s first ad will play during this year’s Academy Awards which is the second biggest ad spot in the US, behind the Super Bowl. According to Nielsen statistics, last year’s Oscars broadcast drew an audience of about 36.6 million people.
Data from WPP-owned ad tracking firm Kantar Media, the average price for a 30-second spot during the 2016 Oscars broadcast is expected to be $1.9 million to $2 million, The average price of 30 seconds of airtime in last year’s telecast was a record $1.8 million for a total of $110 million in ad revenue, according to Kantar Media.
