Diary: Adland's job market turns into an auction ... literally

Campaign 18-May-07

Saatchi & Saatchi London was put on level-four scam alert this week, when an eBay listing for a six-week internship at the agency appeared on the site. Are the infamous internet con artists targeting adland?

According to the description on the auction site, Saatchis, "the
advertising agency that put advertising agencies on the map", is
offering a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for one bidder.

Wondering if the agency would be listing its chief executive position on

eBay next, and quite how the bidding process would work (is the agency
charging graduates these days?), Diary called Saatchis to discover the
auction is the brainchild of Sam Ismail, a 23-year-old business
administration and psychology student, and a hopeful applicant for a
place on the agency's annual summer scholarship.

Ismail, it seems, took the brief - to turn a simple pdf document into a
job - at face value, and ensured that he won the auction. Whether he
gets the coveted six-week gig is in the laps of the Saatchis gods.

Headhunters watch out, though, students aren't the only ones getting in
on the eBay recruitment act. The site is also offering the services of a
freelance creative team.

Art director: Dave Gibson and copywriter Nathan Lennon are flogging
themselves with a starting bid of £300. The duo have taken to eBay
in a bid to secure themselves a permanent gig, and while they have
failed to secure any bids so far, they say they have got a few meetings
out of the venture.