Briefcase

Marketers set to score

The Super Bowl continues to be about marketing as much as sport, according to people who say they watch the broadcast for more than football.

Marketers salivate over this night every year because of the rapt audience — many watching just for the ads, says market research firm InsightExpress and media publisher MediaPost, which surveyed people about the game and the marketing message that accompanies it.

More than half of all Americans say they’ll watch the game, and 58 percent said they pay more attention to Super Bowl commercials than they do the rest of the time when they watch television. What’s more, a quarter of viewers say they give closer scrutiny to the commercials than to the actual game. An equal number admitted buying something they had seen advertised during the Super Bowl.

Workplace

Managers provide do’s, don’ts when interviewing

No doubt about it: Job interviews can make you nervous, and interviewers understand this.

Still, there are some definite do’s and don’ts when sitting down to talk about a job you’re pursuing, according to a survey of 400 hiring managers who related the biggest blunders they’d seen from candidates:

  • Poor communication. Listen closely to what the interviewer says.
  • Performance. Don’t be unprepared or act as if you already have the job. Also, do not answer your telephone or eat a sandwich during the interview — two true scenarios cited by managers in the survey.
  • Attitude. Do not act bored or arrogant, both of which are definite turnoffs.

The survey was conducted last month by Chicago-based CareerBuilder.com.

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