April 19, 2023
Provided image/Morey's Piers
Wildwood's Morey's Piers has a new marketing campaign for its summer job recruitment — and it's centered on splattered seagull poop.
Leave it to the Jersey Shore to attract summer workers with poop jokes.
Morey's Piers, the seaside amusement park on the Wildwood boardwalks, unveiled an aggressive new marketing campaign framed around splattered seagull crap in its push to hire 800 seasonal employees to staff its attractions this year.
Led by sly-eyed Sunny the Seagull, the campaign features billboards, online marketing and even decals of white bird poop that were distributed to current employees to be placed on car windshields, store windows and other locations that might inspire prospective employees to fill out applications.
“We were just informed that there was a large seagull flock fly-over in our immediate vicinity," Morey's Piers employees were told in an email. "As a result, a number of vehicles parked on the Mid Town and Poplar lots have been 'affected.' Feel free to remove the 'splatter,' but do not discard it! The 'splatters' are reusable and can be placed on the windshield of the car parked next to you at a grocery store, your kid’s school or sporting event, your neighbor’s driveway, etc.”
When peeled off, the decals reveal QR codes that can be scanned to link to the company's application page.
The billboards have cheeky slogans that use seagull "splatters" to imply another word for excrement that would better fit the sayings.
A billboard for the new hiring campaign at Morey's Piers.
Another recruitment billboard for Morey's Pier
The recruiting campaign was conceived by local ad agency One Trick Pony, whose other clients include Virgin Hotels, Hard Rock Cafe and Turner Classic Movies.
“Typically, a hiring campaign isn’t going to be the most creative thing you get to work on – but Morey’s is no typical client, and neither are their summer jobs,” said One Trick Pony's Rob Reed, who helped develop the theme. “The campaign puts a fun twist on the benefits of working at the Piers and does it in a way that demands your attention … and a smile.”
Morey's Piers usually hires about 1,500 workers for the summer months. The jobs available now are for ride operators, lifeguards, game operators and staff for concessions and admissions. Seasonal employees can earn up to $16 an hour. Other perks include free use of the amusement rides and water parks, discounted passes for friends and family and discounts on food and drinks.
Those interested in applying must be at least 14 years old. Youth workers between 14-17 will earn between $13-$14 an hour, with the chance for an extra $1 an hour as a performance payment. Those 18 and older will have a $15 hourly rate with the same $1 an hour added for performance.
“There is a lot of competition for employees,” Denise Beckson, vice president of human resources at Morey's Piers, said of the campaign. “Our work environment is unique and fun, we want to showcase that in our advertising campaign. It sets our jobs apart from all the other ‘help wanted’ and ‘now hiring’ messaging.”
The seagulls in Wildwood are sometimes menaces. A few years ago, one of them latched onto the face of a 13-year-old girl aboard the SpringShot ride at Morey's Piers. Who knows? Maybe she's ready to join the working world for her first s****y job, in a new manner of speaking.
