Upwork

This Is How
We Work Now

A 1980s CEO returns from the dead to tell the world that the old ways of working were entirely made up.

For 200 years, society has treated the old ways of working as sacred and unchangeable. So Upwork brought back a deceased CEO to share a provocative and long overdue message: the old ways of working (in an office, 9-5, two weeks vacation) were entirely made up by people like him. So why not make up something better?

Praise
  • Clio Awards x 8
  • Cannes Lions x 3
1089%
increase in first brand mentions
18%
revenue growth year-over-year
26%
increase in traffic to Upwork.com

THE CHALLENGE

Upwork needed a message and campaign that would be difficult to ignore and impossible to forget.

Despite being the category leader in the freelance/remote work marketplace, Upwork’s brand awareness remained extremely low. To gain recognition and establish themselves as the category leader, Upwork needed a message and campaign that would be difficult to ignore and impossible to forget.

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This Is How We Work Now (Long-Form Anthem Film)
Alto delivered amazing work (one of my favorite ads of the year so far) for Upwork.
Jameson Fleming, Adweek
Comedy in ads is common, but this spot for Upwork made us laugh more than anything else we've seen recently.
Alexandra Jardine, Ad Age

THE APPROACH

“This Is How We Work Now” is bigger than a joke about a dead CEO. It’s a stake in the ground. A call to action. A celebration of innovation, collaboration and growth.

Beyond the two-minute musical, the campaign includes a bold visual campaign and 15 different spots, including 60-, 30-, 15- and six-second spots, each with unique narratives in which Jack, the CEO, espouses many of the ways Upwork benefits business owners, all while losing various body parts.

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This Is How We Work Now (Case Study)

The old way of working is deader than me.

Jack McDichael, CEO

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This Is How We Work Now: Nepotism (30-Second Film)

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This Is How We Work Now: Handshake (30-Second Film)

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This Is How We Work Now: Falling Apart (15-Second Film)

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This Is How We Work Now: Speed (15-Second Film)
The irreverent, truth-telling optimist who has seen the future.

Establishing a new voice to go along with the new creative platform required more than just a film. So Alto created a new, more irreverent and confident design identity for executions across OOH, web and all social platforms.

THE IMPACT

"This is How We Work Now" was a runaway success.

Unaided awareness with Upwork’s most important audience, large businesses, went up by a whopping 1089%. Revenue grew by 18% year-over-year and traffic to Upwork.com increased by 26%. Proving that great campaigns, especially starring handsome dead people, work. So here’s to the power of great creative and reinventing a better way of working for everyone.

With single digit awareness, Upwork needed a campaign that cut through the forgettable clutter of B2B advertising. The work was bold, put the brand on the map and communicated our message: the old way of working was dead; it's time for something new!

Melissa WatersEx CMO, Upwork

Client

Upwork

Output

  • Brand Strategy
  • Global Creative Platform
  • Production: Film, Digital, Design and Photography
Next projectMake Your Next Move

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