The news that Monster.com is buying Tickle.com for $94 million dollars paid out as one million shares of Monster Worldwide common stock, an initial cash payment of $29.5 million and a three-year payment of approximately $40-plus million proves without a doubt that:
A) Big media is watching closely how the success of trading communities ( Craig’s List) and social network sites(Tickle and Friendster) is siphoning off users from more traditional classifieds businesses, particularly among the 19-35 crowd.
B) They want that audience back, dammnit!
The Monster announcement says: “The addition of Tickle’s popular interpersonal content and subscriber services in the areas of self-discovery, career assessment and social networking is expected to expand Monster’s subscriber base, enhance its career-related content and further fuel its viral marketing growth.”
Translation: Word of mouth is the most powerful job network. If Monster can create a strong referral network on the Tickle platform, plus retain its core market share with branded recruitment advertising, it can hold back the tide. Plus, the Tickle audience demographics fit into some of the growth categories online recruitment classifieds always talk about exploring further: retail and service sector, first job, post-college placement.
I’m curious to see how this will push the market–and have no doubt, it will.
(Time out for a tout: To state the obvious, if you are a media company or newspaper reading this and wonder if these kinds of questions are part of 5ive’s consulting practice, the answer is yes.)
The news that Monster.com is buying Tickle.com for $94 million dollars paid out as one million shares of Monster Worldwide common stock, an initial cash payment of $29.5 million and a three-year payment of approximately $40-plus million proves without a doubt that:
A) Big media is watching closely how the success of trading communities ( Craig’s List) and social network sites(Tickle and Friendster) is siphoning off users from more traditional classifieds businesses, particularly among the 19-35 crowd.
B) They want that audience back, dammnit!
The Monster announcement says: “The addition of Tickle’s popular interpersonal content and subscriber services in the areas of self-discovery, career assessment and social networking is expected to expand Monster’s subscriber base, enhance its career-related content and further fuel its viral marketing growth.”
Translation: Word of mouth is the most powerful job network. If Monster can create a strong referral network on the Tickle platform, plus retain its core market share with branded recruitment advertising, it can hold back the tide. Plus, the Tickle audience demographics fit into some of the growth categories online recruitment classifieds always talk about exploring further: retail and service sector, first job, post-college placement.
I’m curious to see how this will push the market–and have no doubt, it will.
(Time out for a tout: To state the obvious, if you are a media company or newspaper reading this and wonder if these kinds of questions are part of 5ive’s consulting practice, the answer is yes.)