Amid mass layoffs, Monster employees fake resign to announce rebranding exercise

Monster India employees posted fake resignations on LinkedIn, later announcing a rebranding for the platform. With global layoffs happening, this gimmick did not resonate well with the internet, sparking mixed opinions.

On November 22, multiple Monster India employees shared LinkedIn posts announcing their resignations. This mass resignation included several employees including the CEO, CMO, and many others. 

Recently, globally there's been much talk about mass layoffs at Twitter, BYJU’s, Meta, and more, with #TheGreatResignation trending. Considering this, Monster India’s recent activities seemed as if the company was joining the lay off season, adding to the public's concern. 

But with a quick look at the tonality in the posts, which ended in the same hashtags #GoodbyeMonster and #ChangeIsGood, the internet could make a clever guess that these posts were seemingly a marketing gimmick.

Soon after this, the brand announced its rebranding and changed its name to ‘Foundit’, highlighting how the moving-on tweets from Monster employees were a part of this rebranding exercise.

Social media had mixed reactions to Monster India’s activity. In a blog post, Karthik Srinivasan, a Communications strategy consultant said, “At the outset, full marks to Monster India/Foundit for creatively gaming LinkedIn to gain attention. This is out-of-the-box thinking, and I’d argue that this was out-of-the-box for a specific reason: ethics.” 

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On the other hand, many people were on the fence; Jessi Paul, a Marketing Expert shared her opinion saying ‘Dunno. Makes me feel a bit squeamish though it is a clever idea and they didn't technically tell a lie’. 

Some didn’t find anything wrong with the brand’s approach, stating the campaign was ‘clever’ and ‘unique’.

While a lot of the audience also agreed with Karthik’s opinion stating how this marketing gimmick comes at the wrong time and isn’t tasteful. 

Team Social Samosa has reached out to the brand for their input.

What are your opinions on this marketing initiative? Let us know in the comments below.