Archived News 1999

15 December 1999

SEEK Recruits Creative Branding Team

Australia’s leading Internet-only employment service, SEEK Limited is set to solidify its name in the Australian business arena, with the announcement today that brand experts Leonardi Brandhouse have been appointed to build and add value to the SEEK brand in Australia.

Leonardi Brandhouse is the latest addition to SEEK’s marketing team, joining Australian creative guru Ted Horton, and The Media Planning Agency to round out a highly skilled and innovative team that will strengthen SEEK’s position in the offline and online markets.

"These full service agencies teamed with the creative genius of Ted Horton will be an unstoppable combination," according to Katie May, SEEK Limited’s Marketing Director. "We are thrilled to move in to the year 2000 with such a talented team and are confident we have the right people on board to meet the challenges ahead."

"The development of our marketing team is very much a reflection of our overall business philosophy," says SEEK director Matthew Rockman. "Whilst we are an Internet based company, we recognise that this is not the only medium to reach clients, and our marketing mix must reflect this."

"We are innovators in the employment arena, and we aim to be just as cutting edge in our marketing communications. We intend to tap into the best of traditional and non-traditional approaches to media and marketing and make sure we have the right resources to do that."

SEEK has already implemented a number of successful and original marketing techniques, utilising both on and off-line marketing techniques. SEEK was the first company to jump on the back of Scooter Lites (mini billboards mounted on the back of Vespa motorbikes) and has been very successful in building unique relationships with other Internet leaders such as Excite, Looksmart and Ninemsn.

ENDS

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24 November 1999

Internet Users SEEK More Jobs in New Zealand!

SEEK Limited, New Zealand’s premier Internet-only employment classifieds site, is changing the way New Zealanders find work, with the announcement today of a unique partnership agreement with the country’s leading radio station, More FM.

The result of the partnership is a co-branded web site, located at www.seekmore.co.nz. The SeekMore site offers career advice, an email job alert, a resume building tool, as well as links to the More FM homepage.

More FM sees this alliance as an extension of the company’s existing communications strategy, as well as a vital service for the station's listening audience.

"We have been developing our Internet strategy over the past few years, and are very excited to join with a leading Internet company such as SEEK,” says Brent Impey, More FM’s national general manager.

"This is a great service for our audience to gain access to the employment market, and SEEK users can find out more about More FM whilst they are looking for work, it’s a win - win situation!"

The partnership will also be a huge win for SEEK, as promotions through More FM will drive additional traffic to the web site. “Working with More FM, we will gain exposure to potential recruiters and job seekers who may not already be aware of the job seeking services we offer", says SEEK Business Development Executive, Patrick Pruett.

SEEK Limited aims to develop strategic alliances with leading local organisations to maximise its exposure to and contact with both advertisers and job seekers.

"Our goal is to provide the best independent online employment service in New Zealand, and we are committed to developing innovative and unique strategies, partnerships and promotions to make this happen".

The SeekMore web site is located at www.seekmore.co.nz

About SEEK Limited

SEEK Limited publishes New Zealand's newest Internet jobs classified website, www.seek.co.nz. An Internet start-up that is totally independent of the recruitment industry, SEEK was launched in New Zealand in August 1999, using the experience gained from producing Australia's leading employment web site, www.seek.com.au.

SEEK Limited is committed to providing excellent service and results for advertisers and creating a positive and valuable experience for job seekers.

For further media information contact

Nanette Fitzgerald at PR Works
Tel 03 9682 1166 (international 61 3 9682 1166) Fax 03 9682 1199 Mobile 0410 794 489

or

Patrick Pruett at SEEK New Zealand
Tel 09 529 4125 (international 64 9 529 4125) Fax 09 529 277 Mobile 021 415 544

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19 November 1999

Hey hey it’s not over!

SEEK is farewelling Australian icon, Hey Hey It’s Saturday with a positive perspective and solution. “Hey Hey It’s Not Over” will appear on SEEK’s newest and zippiest advertising medium, the brand new Scooter Lites, over the weekend. Darryl, Red, Dickie and the gang can all get online to www.seek.com.au where they will find an abundance of job opportunities. The whole Hey Hey cast can register their job interests on www.seek.com.au and SEEK will help them to relocate themselves within the job market. www.seek.com.au will email respondents as soon as relevant jobs become available and jobs can be applied for immediately via the direct online links with employers.

www.seek.com.au, the largest online recruitment site, advertises employment opportunities for a wide range of vocations. SEEK’s website, www.seek.com.au was launched in March 1998 and has continued to enjoy enormous growth in all key areas. SEEK not only provides online opportunities to seek out employment openings and vacancies, but also offers application procedures to all jobs advertised — all with the convenience of online efficiency and speed.

So don’t despair Daryl, SEEK has jobs advertised in all areas, maybe you would like to try your hand at being a Vineyard Manager. For Red, there’s a Fitness Instructor or possibly Forklift Driver and Wilbur could be interested in an Aircraft Instrument Repairman position. There is a Japanese Translator’s position available that Dicky Nee could be perfect for and Plucka Duck may want to dip into the role of Custom’s Co-ordinator.

So keep your eyes peeled and don’t let SEEK’s opportunities pass you by.

ENDS

For further media information contact Sarah McCubbin at Spin Communications
Tel 03 9525 0755 Fax 03 9525 0228

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19 November 1999

SEEK’s scooting around town

www.seek.com.au is taking to the road in Australia’s newest and speediest advertising medium, the brand new Scooter Lites. You’ll see SEEK zipping around the streets of Melbourne this month on the cutest little two-wheeled vehicles in town. Another first for www.seek.com.au.

www.seek.com.au is the largest online recruitment site and advertises employment opportunities for a wide range of vocations. SEEK’s website, www.seek.com.au was launched in March 1998 and has continued to enjoy enormous growth in all key areas. SEEK not only provides online opportunities to seek out employment openings and vacancies, but also offers application procedures to all jobs advertised — all with the convenience of online efficiency and speed. So it easy to see why www.seek.com.au has chosen to be one of the first to jump on the back of the funky, new Scooter Lites and enjoy the ride.

"This innovative, fun medium perfectly reflects SEEK’s personality and culture. As a pioneer advertiser, SEEK can impact our core audience in a highly competitive market. SEEK has recruited Scooter Lites to help cut through the clutter both on and off the streets and get its message to job seekers everywhere.", says SEEK’s Marketing Director, Katie May.

So keep your eyes open and make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to get on board with www.seek.com.au and let them help you drive your career in the direction of your choice.

ENDS

For further press information please contact Sarah McCubbin or Graeme Lewsey at Spin Communications
Tel 03 9525 0755 Fax 03 9525 0228

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01 November 1999

SEEK Limited completes capital raising with prestigious venture capital funds

Australia's largest Internet only employment advertiser, SEEK Limited, has aggressive expansion plans following completion of a successful capital raising from three leading venture capital funds — Australian Mezzanine Investments' and Walden's AMWIN, Macquarie Bank’s Macquarie Technology Fund and the Australasian Media and Communications Fund ("AMCF").

Paul Riley from AMWIN and William Bartee from Macquarie Technology Fund have joined SEEK's board of directors which prior to the investment consisted of experienced IT consultant Bob Watson and Helen Abeles of JGL Investments, as well as SEEK's non-executive chairman, Irvin Rockman CBE. Executive directors are chief executive officer, Paul Bassat, and Matthew Rockman and Andrew Bassat. Mr Tim Downing from AMCF is a board observer.

Paul Riley said, "SEEK Limited is a remarkable success story, shaking up the employment advertising and IT markets with its innovative and aggressive approach".

William Bartee said, “We are pleased to welcome SEEK Limited to our portfolio of investee companies and to participate in the firm's ongoing growth."

Tim Downing said, "We have followed SEEK's very impressive growth over the last 12 months and are excited to be able to assist SEEK to realise its potential."

AMWIN Management Pty Ltd (AMWIN) is an international partnership between Walden International Investment Group (WIIG) and Australian Mezzanine Investments (AMIL) that funds enterprising Australian companies. AMWIN is one of only five companies in Australia to be licensed by the Australian Government's inaugural Innovation Investment Fund (IIF) Program and has over $40 million of funds under management. Paul Riley is the Chief Executive Officer of AMWIN and was heavily involved in the establishment of the AMWIN Innovation Investment Fund.

Macquarie Technology Funds Management is one of Macquarie's Venture Capital businesses focussing exclusively on technology. Operating out of Macquarie Bank's Sydney and San Francisco offices, it has approximately $80 million of funds under management.

AMCF was established in 1997 by Communications Equity Associates, (a US based investment bank) Gresham Partners Ltd., (a Sydney based Investment Bank) and Tim Downing and Paul Harris from the private equity group, the Fulcrum Group. AMCF is a fund of some $50 million investing in companies in the media and communications sectors in Australasia.

Irvin Rockman said, "The addition of AMWIN, Macquarie Technology Fund and the AMCF improves our share register enormously! Obviously, these three leading venture funds can see that SEEK is a real business of substance on the Internet.”

SEEK was created in 1997 by three young Melbourne entrepreneurs — Paul Bassat, a former senior associate at leading legal firm Arnold Bloch Leibler; Andrew Bassat, previously a management consultant at Booz Allen and Hamilton; and Matthew Rockman, formerly sales and marketing director at Rockman's Regency Hotel.

SEEK intends to list its shares on the Australian Stock Exchange in the future.

The company currently has more than 500 recruitment firms and companies advertising more than 18,000 jobs on its site each month, while a record 1.01 million job searches took place on SEEK's website (www.seek.com.au) during September.

Advertisers are charged a once only fee of $60 per ad, per month and the advertisements can be updated at any time.

SEEK has also formed some very powerful and exclusive alliances with major media groups, including ninemsn, Excite and LookSmart and was recently ranked by www.consult as Australia's sixth best known internet brand.

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27 October 1999

SEEK reaches the magic million mark in latest figures

Australia's largest Internet-only employment firm, SEEK, has continued its remarkable run of success, with latest figures revealing over a record one million job searches (1,019,959) were conducted on the firm's web site during September (an increase of 20 per cent on the previous month).

The figures also reveal that visits to SEEK's site (www.seek.com.au) during September rose by 18 per cent to a record 411, 592, while job applications also increased by 21 per cent. More than 500 recruitment firms and companies advertised 18,000 jobs over the month.

Mr Paul Bassat, Chief Executive of SEEK, said "Our latest record figures are a testament to the Internet's increasing popularity as a job searching tool and to the popularity of SEEK's site amongst job seekers and advertisers alike.

This surge in traffic to the SEEK site comes hot on the heels of the release of research by www.consult which found that SEEK is Australia's sixth best known Internet brand, ranked behind Yahoo, Netscape, Excite, ninemsn and Hotmail.

SEEK's latest record figures follow the firm's recent successful TV advertising campaign and aggressive strong promotion on the net.

"SEEK has for many months now, been attracting a far greater volume of job-seekers to our site than any other in Australia. The greater immediacy and efficiency provided by sites such as SEEK, for both job seekers and advertisers, has proved to be a major advantage over the more traditional and cumbersome forms of job advertising," said Mr Bassat.

"SEEK's site is able to provide job seekers and recruiters with an inter-active mechanism to communicate with each other. The email communication provided by SEEK is a cost-effective means where both recruitment firms and job seekers can immediately sift through the best possible employment and career options for them," added Mr Bassat.

SEEK has forged some very powerful and exclusive alliances with major media groups, including Kerry Packer's ninemsn and LookSmart and Excite, being their exclusive employment sites.

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05 October 1999

SEEK goes offline to reward its successful job seekers

Australia's largest Internet-only employment advertiser, SEEK, has established another first in the Internet recruitment industry with the launch of its 'SEEK Rewards Program'.

The program will see job seekers who secure employment through SEEK and its employment site, www.seek.com.au, receive a $15 gift certificate from wishlist.com.au. as well as a congratulatory card. Job seekers who gain employment in positions paying in excess of $50,000 per annum will also receive a bottle of Domaine Chandon champagne.

Chief Executive of SEEK, Mr Paul Bassat, said "The SEEK Rewards Program is our way of congratulating successful job seekers and wishing them well in their new positions.

"At the same time we feel the program will allow SEEK to expand its corporate image and proven quality of service via word of mouth from satisfied customers. This avenue of communication will allow SEEK to extend its contacts with potential users offline for the first time, broadening our relationship with potential clients and giving us access to a whole new set of information tools," he added.

Since launching in May 1998, SEEK has grown to become a viable alternative to the traditional forms of job advertising, such as the newspapers' classified sections.

Over 350,000 job seekers visit SEEK's site each month, while a total of 70,000 job-seekers are registered with the site for the purpose of either creating their resumes, gaining free daily emails of jobs that are available and applying for positions online.

SEEK currently has more than 400 recruitment firms and companies advertising more than 16,000 jobs on its site nationally.

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22 September 1999

AFL umpire now stars in Melbourne television campaign for SEEK

Australia's largest Internet-only employment advertiser, SEEK, will this week make infamous AFL umpire, Peter Carey, and his mark of the year. The spot makes light of Umpire Carey's misstep with the question: "Considering a career change?", followed by its website address (www.seek.com.au), featuring over 15,000 jobs.

SEEK is a major force in the Australian recruitment industry and the 15 second commercial is an extension to its national advertising campaign, with the theme — "SEEK and you shall find".

The commercial features the now famous incident where Umpire Carey instinctively took a mark during the St. Kilda versus Freemantle game last month.

Chief Executive of SEEK, Mr Paul Bassat, said "Our commercial is a bit of fun and I'm sure Mr. Carey and his growing fan club will appreciate that. However, if he is looking for a new gig, he can check out our web site for a wide range of alternatives."

The Peter Carey ad will appear in football orientated programs in this week's lead up to the Grand Final. This includes the "Footy Show", "Live and Kicking", "The Decade that Delivered" and the "Grand Final" itself.

SEEK has launched the campaign to support its fast growing business, which currently has more than 400 recruitment firms and companies advertising more than 16,000 new jobs on its site nationally each month, creating a real alternative to newspapers' classified employment sections and continuing to convert job-seekers to the Internet.

More than 350,000 job seekers visited SEEK's site last month (www.seek.com.au).

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21 September 1999

Popularity of the Internet for job seekers and advertisers continues to grow with SEEK Limited

The popularity of the Internet both as a job seeking and advertising tool continues to grow, as shown by the record number of job visitors and job ads on SEEK Limited's Internet site last month.

Mr Paul Bassat, Chief Executive of SEEK, Australia's largest Internet-only employment advertiser, said "There is now no doubt that the Internet has arrived as a very serious media in the employment market, providing a serious alternative to traditional advertising forums, like newspapers".

SEEK attracted in excess of 350,000 job seekers to its site during August, another strong increase on its previous record monthly figure (330,000) in July 1999. The firm also advertised a record 16,000 new jobs on its web site, an increase of 31 per cent on its previous record figure, also set in July 1999, with more than 400 companies and recruitment firms advertising on the site.

Mr Bassat said "SEEK has for many months now, been attracting a far greater volume of job-seekers to our site than any other in Australia, including newspaper sites. The greater immediacy and efficiency provided by sites such as SEEK, for both job seekers and advertisers, has proved to be a major advantage over the more traditional and cumbersome forms of job advertising."

The employment site (www.seek.com.au) now has a total of 70,000 job seekers registered with the site for the purpose of either creating their resumes, gaining free daily emails of jobs that are available and applying for positions online.

SEEK is now at the forefront of a revolution occurring in communications and media, with the majority of the company's job seekers being professional and aged between 25-39 years old.

"SEEK's site is able to provide job seekers and recruiters with an inter-active mechanism to communicate with each other. The email communication provided by SEEK is a cost-effective means where both recruitment firms and job seekers can immediately sift through the best possible employment and career options for them," added Mr Bassat.

SEEK has forged some very powerful and exclusive alliances with major media groups, including Kerry Packer's ninemsn and LookSmart and Excite, being their exclusive employment sites.

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24 August 1999

Australia's largest Internet-only employment firm launches in New Zealand

Australia's largest Internet-only employment advertiser, SEEK, has expanded its successful Internet recruitment service, with the launch of its New Zealand web site earlier this week in Auckland.

SEEK's New Zealand website, 'seek.co.nz', will provide job seekers and recruiters in New Zealand with similar services and facilities to its highly successful Australian site, 'www.seek.com.au', which is attracting over 340,000 visitors per month.

Chief Executive of SEEK, Mr Paul Bassat, said "Since our launch in Australia in March 1998, SEEK has rapidly grown to become the country's largest Internet-only employment advertiser and a real alternative to Australian newspapers' classified employment sections, and we expect to become a serious player in the New Zealand market."

He added, "We are now at the forefront of the revolution occurring in communications and media around the world, which has seen the pendulum shift from traditional forms of job advertising towards the Internet. We strongly believe that local job seekers and advertisers will appreciate the high level of service and functions our web site can perform"

SEEK's website will provide New Zealand's job seekers with the fastest and easiest way to view the most up to date available positions across the country. Job seekers will also be able to have job vacancies emailed to them, lodge individual resumes and apply for positions online.

"As well as providing a comprehensive list of available jobs in New Zealand, the SEEK site will also provide links to available jobs in Australia for those moving across the Tasman Sea," said Mr Bassat.

Advertisers will be able to post their available positions on the SEEK site and will be charged a once only fee of just $60 per ad, per month, which will include being able to regularly update their ads.

"Advertisers will be able to attract applicants quickly and cost effectively through the Internet site, before going to the next step of organising face-to-face interviews", said Mr Bassat.

Since its launch in Australia, the number of people visiting SEEK's site has grown by 30 per cent each month, with almost 340,000 job seekers visiting the site in July.

SEEK's Australian site currently has 300 recruitment firms and companies advertising more than 15,000 jobs nationally.

"Interest in SEEK's site from job seekers and recruiters here in New Zealand has already been strong and we are confident of emulating our Australian success, by providing the same high quality service and level of results here in New Zealand," concluded Mr Bassat.

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06 August 1999

Growing number of Australian Internet users to apply for jobs online according to recent survey

Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of Australian Internet users will "probably or definitely" apply for a job online in the next six months, according to a recent survey.

The survey, by APT Strategies, coincides with Australia's largest Internet-only employment advertiser, SEEK Limited, hosting more than 336,000 job-seekers on its Internet employment site during July (an increase of 24 per cent from June).

Chief Executive of SEEK, Mr Paul Bassat, said "The APT Strategies survey result is another indication of the growing popularity of the Internet as a job-seeking tool. The ever-increasing number of job seekers visiting sites such as SEEK has seen the pendulum clearly shift from the traditional forms of job seeking towards the Internet.

"Internet job sites such as SEEK are able to provide a far more immediate and detailed analysis of available jobs, while providing job seekers with the most efficient means of applying for these positions," added Mr Bassat.

SEEK's employment site (www.seek.com.au) now has a total of 60,000 job-seekers registered with it for the purpose of either lodging their resumes, gaining free daily emails of jobs that are available and applying for positions online.

"With over 300 recruitment firms and companies advertising more than 13,000 jobs on its site nationally, SEEK is now proving to be a dynamic alternative to newspapers' classified employment sections," said Mr Bassat.

"The Internet offers a far more cost-effective and efficient means of recruitment than the newspaper classified sections, as we provide an interactive mechanism for recruitment firms to communicate with their job candidates," he added.

SEEK has also forged some very powerful and exclusive alliances with major media groups, including Kerry Packer's ninemsn, Looksmart, Excite and Telstra's Big Pond, allowing it to reach an even larger audience.

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21 July 1999

SEEK Limited continues to post strong increases in Internet job visitors and advertising

Australia's largest Internet-only employment advertiser, SEEK, has continued its remarkable run of success, with monthly figures for June, revealing a 15 per cent increase in visitor numbers to its Internet site and a 23 per cent increase in the number of new job ads displayed on the site.

SEEK, which has become a major force in the Australian recruitment industry after just 16 months of operation, hosted more than 270,000 job-seekers at its employment site during June, while also achieving a record of 10,500 new jobs being advertised on the web site from more than 300 companies and recruitment firms.

The continued growth of SEEK, follows the highly successful launch of three TV commercials in March of this year, with the theme "SEEK and you shall find".

SEEK launched the campaign to support its fast growing business and communicate the fact that the company now provides a real alternative to newspapers' classified employment sections, while converting job-seekers to the Internet.

The employment site (www.seek.com.au) now has a total of 50,000 job-seekers registered with the site for the purpose of either lodging their resumes, gaining free daily emails of jobs that are available and applying for positions online.

Chief Executive of SEEK, Mr Paul Bassat, said "SEEK is now attracting a greater volume of advertisers and job-seekers to our site than any other in Australia. This is a home grown, locally owned success story, demonstrating that Australian Internet companies are at the forefront of Internet applications and content worldwide".

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