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NEW YORK — Mattel says it is conducting a nationwide job search for a "Chief Uno player." The salary: $277 an hour.
The toy company is hiring someone to promote the release of its new game, Uno Quatro. The chosen applicant will be paid $4,444 a week for four weeks to play Uno Quatro with strangers in New York City and create social media content featuring the new game.
Uno Quatro is a new version of Uno that combines connecting four tiles in a row, as in Connect 4, with the classic Uno feature of matching numbers and colors.
"We're thrilled to offer a position to the ultimate Uno player to help introduce our brand-new game, Uno Quatro, to the world," said Ray Adler, the global head of games at Mattel, in a statement.
Starting Sept. 13, the Chief Uno player will teach players to play the game and participate in livestreams and interviews. Any U.S. citizen over the age of 18 can apply, as long as they can fulfill the job requirements of being able to sit for long periods of time and can carry 50 pounds or more to move tents for game setup.
Mattel's new position is part of a growing movement in which brands use stunts on social media to get people talking about their new product, said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
"This really reflects the state of marketing today … the question is how do you get people engaged and interested in a brand (like Uno) that has been around for 50 years," Calkins says. "For many brands, TikTok is the key."
For Uno, Mattel is featuring its applications on TikTok to alert users of the quirky new job, and the company is encouraging Uno lovers to apply by stitching their video before the Aug. 10 deadline.
"I suspect many people have not thought about Uno in a very long time … then suddenly you see this on TikTok, and now you are interested in it again," Calkins says.
Just last week, Skittles partnered with French's to release a mustard flavor, which made waves on TikTok. In June, McDonald's' "Grimace," the creature behind their popular shake, "took over" their Twitter account. Meanwhile, marketers everywhere have been capitalizing on the "Barbie" cultural moment, turning social media pink.
But it takes more than just posting on TikTok for brands to see returns.
For a small brand like Uno, it is impossible to get success by just advertising, Calkins explained. Instead, it needs to give fans something interesting to talk about to generate buzz.
An eye-catching five-figure position to play Uno for four weeks can accomplish just that. Plus, if you are a young person in between jobs, Chief Uno player is a great gig, Calkins said.
